The First Rose
by P4rtn3rs 1n Cr1m3
Summary: Kanaya had been through a lot. Her parents were dead, leaving Porrim to take care of her. She was a good guardian, despite her love for material things like alcohol. She had occasional drinking problems, often losing her job and having to move. They just moved to Rainbow Falls NY. Kanaya starts school by bumping into Rose, a mysterious girl. Could she be worth getting to know?
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is my first fanfiction that I have really stuck with and developed some real plot for, so sorry if it's not amazing.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. All characters belong to Andrew Hussie, creator of Homestuck and ender of our social lives.**

Chapter 1

"Are you ready for your first day of school Kanaya?" Porrim asked as she made pancakes for her little sister.

"Yeah I suppose. It's just going to be like every other year. How long will I last this time? A semester? A month? Or will I break last year's record of a week?" Kanaya responded, trying not to let too much sarcasm drip from her words.

Porrim turned around from the stove to face her. She was really pretty. Tall, elegant, just the right size, flowing caramel hair. Everything Kanaya hoped to be and would never achieve. "Kanaya, stop. I know I have had a few… 'complications' over the past few years—"

"Complications? That's an understatement. You haven't lasted more than 6 months at a single job because of your drinking episodes!"

Porrim looked slightly annoyed at the comment, but brushed it off regardless. "Anyway, this time will be different. I am going to try really hard to get a stable job and do everything in my power to stay here for a long time." She says as she brings the pancakes over to Kanaya.

Kanaya perked up at the food, but even more at her sister's remark. "Really? Are you serious?"

Porrim smiled, happy to see her sister smiling. It was so hard to get her to do so lately. "Of course. But, only of you promise that you will try to make some friends? Please?"

"Yes. I will try." Kanaya glances at the clock and gasps. "I'm going to be late! Bye!" Kanaya hugs Porrim, grabs her last pancake, and runs out the door.

* * *

Kanaya walks up to the doors of Alternia High School and sighed. She lived close to the school, so she would walk every day, even though she could drive. She looked down at her black shirt and long skirt and prayed that this was in fashion at this school, even though she knew it was fashionable enough. She loved fashion. Running her fingers through her short black hair, she walked in through the front doors.

Everyone was greeting each other, asking one another about their summer, their latest crush and whatnot. She kept an eye out for any potential friends. All these kids either looked like middle schoolers, super popular, or super nerdy. Nobody that would like to hang out with a girl who wears green lipstick and red skirts. _Geez, now I feel like some sort of Christmas tree_ , She thought as she made her way to her first class, Physics. Looking at her school map like she was some sort of tourist, she ended up bumping into something white and lavender and saw a book drop on the floor.

"Ah! My books!" The other girl exclaimed.

"I am so sorry. I didn't see you. I was trying to find my way to physics. Are you alright?" Kanaya asked as she bent down to pick the books up and give them back to the girl.

The girl looked at Kanaya. She was pretty. Blonde hair, black headband, black lipstick, and lavender eyes. Clearly this girl was into colored contacts. She liked that. "Yeah I'm fine. What did you say your first class was?" The blonde asked as she took her books back.

Kanaya snapped back into reality. "Uh… um… oh. Physics."

"Okay. Walk down the hall, swing a left. It should be the first few doors on your right." She explained then quickly continued on her path.

"Th-thank you!" Kanaya yelled, but the other girl didn't seem to hear. Kanaya hurried to her physics class, thinking constantly about that girl.

* * *

Her first few classes weren't very exciting. It was all 'mandatory' first day stuff. Name, something about yourself, something you want to learn this year, etc. None of her teachers so far had said her name right, always pronouncing it like 'can-Aya', but she was used to it. Very few managed to pronounce her name correctly on the first try. Kanaya rushed to the lunchroom, grabbed some pizza for lunch, then started the ever annoying quest of where to sit. _This is a good opportunity to make a friend or two_ she told herself. No one seemed to stand out as she scanned the tables. She was almost out of tables to look at when- _wait. There she is._ The girl from before whose books she knocked down. Is it socially acceptable here to just walk up and ask to sit down? No, she looked way to popular to hang out with. Maybe another time. For today, she sat by herself and read a book.

After lunch was over, she made her way to her final class, Pre-calculus. She walked through the door, then hurried to try and find her seat. This teacher seemed to be one of those who assigned seats from day one. She looked at every desk for her name, getting more and more worried when she didn't find it. She eventually found her name next to some girl named 'Rose Lalonde'. _That's a pretty name_ Kanaya thought. She shuffled a few papers around, looked up, and her breath caught. There she was. The same girl she kept seeing. _Not next to me, not next to me, anywhere but next to me_. But there she was, sauntering towards the desk labeled 'Rose'. She sat down and looked at Kanaya.

"Hey, you're the girl from earlier right?" Rose asked with curiosity. "Hi, I'm Rose Lalonde. I'm a junior here. Judging on the classes you seem to take, I'm assuming you're a junior too?"

"Uh… no. I'm actually a sophomore. Physics and Pre-Calculus are the only classes I take that aren't my grade level. Well, Minus AP classes, but those are technically only for my grade level anyway."

Rose let out a whistle and sat back in her chair. "Wow, you must be pretty smart. Well, Kanaya, I hope I find us in more classes together tomorrow. Elective wise I mean."

Kanaya stuttered. "H-how do you kn-know my name?"

Rose smiled. "I can read minds." She put her index finger to her temple and laughed. "Actually, your name is written on her desk."

Kanaya mentally face palmed. Of course. "Wait, you said my name right."

Rose looked at Kanaya with those big lavender eyes puzzlingly. "Well, of course. It seemed the only logical way to say it. How do most people say it?"

"Kind of like 'can-Aya'. I just get used to it because it's a regular thing for me. You are the first person to pronounce my name correctly on the first try." Oh yeah. Kanaya could tell she was going to like this girl.

"Oh. Well, _Kanaya_ , that's terrible. Definitely something I can't relate to. We should-" Rose was cut off as the bell rang and class started.

* * *

After what seemed like hours with a teacher Kanaya could tell would be boring all year long, the final bell rang at last. She quickly gathered her things and started heading down the hall. She could hear footsteps running to catch up with her.

"Hey! Wait up Kanaya!" Gosh, she loved the way she said her name. Something about it seemed different than when anyone else said it. Rose fell into step with her. "How far are you from school?"

"Actually, I live a couple streets down from the school."

"Me too! We can walk together!" This seemed to be more of a statement than a request, so Kanaya didn't object. Rose started talking about how her day went and her teachers and whatnot. Kanaya wasn't particularly listening to the words she was saying, more just her voice. She snapped out of her trance when Rose paused.

"Huh? Sorry, what did you say?" Kanaya blushed. _Great first day impression Kanaya_.

Rose chuckled. "I asked if you had a cell phone. Y'know, so we can text each other."

"Oh. Yeah I do." She gave the blonde her number. "This is my house here. Sorry if your house isn't near here."

"Actually, my house is a few houses down from here. That's cool, that we live so close to each other. Well, see ya Kanaya!" Rose waved and walked off.

"Goodbye!" Wow. Kanaya had not only managed her first day at a new school, she may have made a friend in the process. She smiled and walked into her house.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm glad you guys liked the first chapter! I hope to continue grabbing your interest.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters. All the characters are from Homestuck, written by Andrew Hussie. I wish I owned them though...**

Chapter 2

"How was your first day? Are all your teachers okay? How were the kids there? Were they mean to you at all?" Porrim bombarded Kanaya with questions as she closed the front door.

"Woah slow down! I came back from school, not a 2-year military deployment." Kanaya laughed. "School was fine. All the people there seem nice. I even made a potential friend."

"Oh? Who is it?" Porrim asked, knowing she wouldn't know who it was, but she had to make sure this child wasn't fictional.

Kanaya narrowed her eyes slightly, knowing what her older sister was thinking. "Her name is Rose Lalonde. She's a junior there. We have a few classes together. She lives a couple houses down from us, actually. She seems really nice and bubbly and really pretty."

Her sister grinned and hugged her tightly. "That's great Kan! I'm glad you were able to fit in so easily there! You know what? Just for that, I will order whatever takeout you want for dinner."

Kanaya did a double take. They hardly ever got takeout because it costs money they didn't always have. "Wait, really? Okay, um… Pei-Wei?" That was her and her sister's favorite Asian takeout place.

Porrim's eyes shone. "Whatever you want. I will go order it now." She walked over to the computer and started typing. Kanaya grabbed her school stuff and walked up to her room. She sat down on her bed and her phone buzzed. She didn't recognize the number, but checked the text anyway.

 _?: Hey Kanaya! I know this is probably really forward seeing as we just met and all, but do you want to hang out this weekend? I figured this could be our chance to get to know each other better._

 _?: This is Rose by the way. :)_

Kanaya laughed and quickly responded.

 _Kanaya: Yeah That Sounds Good. I Will Ask At Dinner If We Can._

 _Rose: Awesome! Well, see you tomorrow! Do you want to walk to school tomorrow? I leave around 8:10 every morning._

 _Kanaya: Sure. See You Then._ Kanaya put on some music and picked up a book to read until dinner.

Rose opened the door to her house, walked in, and closed it quietly, assuming her mom would be sleeping off another one of her hangovers. She started walking up the stairs when she heard heels clicking on the tile. "How was your day?"

Rose turned around, surprised to see her mom, Roxy, fully functional, duster in one hand, martini in the other. You would never catch her mom without some sort of drink on her. "It was fine. My friends are the same as always. Made a new friend. Classes as boring as ever. Same old, same old." Rose continued to walk up the stairs.

"What was that one part?" Roxy asked, a slight pep in her voice.

"Classes as boring as ever?" Rose said, knowing what her mom meant by the question.

"No. Something about a new friend? That's great! Who is she? Do I know her parents? Has she always lived here?" Her mom pestered her with all these questions. It annoyed Rose so much. Just because she 'hasn't made many friends in the past few years', her mom felt the need to jump on every friend opportunity that came along.

Rose sighed. "Her name is Kanaya. She's a sophomore that just moved here. She lives a few houses down from us. It's really not that big a deal."

"You should invite her over sometime. This weekend maybe?"

"Fine. I will ask." Rose replied, knowing that was the only way to get her mother off of her back. She walked up to her room and texted with Kanaya for a few minutes, then pulled out her knitting needles and continued on her latest project. She had been into knitting for a few years now. She found it relaxing, a way to take her mind off of everything else, no matter what else was going on in her life. Right now she was knitting a scarf, which she would probably finish in a day or two. After a bit of that, she put the needles down and picked up a book. She liked reading. It took her to places she wanted to go but knew she never would. Rose lay down and read, her eyes drooping until she fell asleep. Even though it was only about half past 8, the first day of school was a tiring experience.

Rose woke up the next morning to her mom's cat Mutini pawing at her. She groaned and looked at the clock. 6:26 am. _Well,_ she thought, _I would have had to get up soon anyway. I guess now is as good as ever_. She rubbed her eyes, struggled through her sheets, and got out of bed. She grabbed her phone and padded to the bathroom, splashed her face with water, and walked downstairs. All the lights were off, which means her mom was still asleep. She turned on the kitchen light on and poured herself some cereal and milk. Just as she finished, she felt her phone buzz. She unlocked it, squinting until she could turn down the brightness, and checked her messages.

 _?: hey sis how was day one of school?_

Did she really want to deal with him right now? He was cool, but this early in the morning he could get annoying quickly. She grimaced and responded.

 _Rose: Hey Dave. School was fine yesterday. Wbu?_

 _Dave: it was fine john and i have one class together so far and we may have at least one more today_

 _Rose: That's cool. I met someone new yesterday. Her name is Kanaya. She's pretty cool. She's in your grade._

 _Dave: huh havent heard of her_

 _Rose: She's new to the state._

 _Dave: thats probably why. well cool good for you making friend. im happy for you_

 _Rose: Well, nothing is for sure yet. We only met yesterday._

 _Dave: whatever see you at school._

Rose put her dishes in the sink and went to go get dressed. After much frustration with her black lipstick, she finally finished getting ready at 8 am. She pulled out her phone and opened her messages again.

 _Rose: We still good to walk today?_

 _Kanaya: Yep. See You In 10 Minutes._

Rose played on her phone for a few minutes, then left her house, making sure not to wake her snoring mother.

"So, are you going to go to see your other set of teachers today?" Porrim asked while giving her little sister eggs on toast.

"Yeah. I hope the students in this bunch of classes are cool." Kanaya responded. Alternia High School had an A-B schedule, which means everyone only saw their teachers every other day. Kanaya just thought it was their excuse to give more homework. As she started shoveling in her eggs, her phone buzzed. She looked at it, smiled, and typed a quick response.

Porrim raised her eyebrow. "You never smile when reading your phone. Who was it?"

"It was just Rose asking if we were going to walk to school together today." _Honestly Porrim_ Kanaya thought to herself, _don't make this into something bigger than what it really is._

After a few more minutes, the doorbell rang. Kanaya and Porrim looked at each other, then before Kanaya could think, Porrim was running to the door. They always did this when the doorbell went off. She opened the door and smiled. "Hello, you must be Rose. I'm Porrim, Kanaya's older sister." She stuck her hand out.

Rose blushed a bit. She was really good looking. She could see why Kanaya was so pretty. She took her hand. "Hello. It's nice to meet you."

Kanaya pushed past her sister and grinned. "Hi Rose! I'm ready. Let's go. Bye Porrim."

"You two have fun at school. See you later."

"Yeah okay. Oh hey! Is it okay if I hang out at Rose's house this weekend?" Kanaya asked, not wanting to say she completely forgot.

Porrim pondered for a minute. "As long as there will be some sort of guardian supervision, then I'm okay with that."

"Oh yeah. My mom rarely leaves the house, so she will definitely be there." Rose responded.

"Alright. Well, you two get off to school. You don't want to be late." Porrim closed the door, and the two girls started walking towards the high school.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Rose asked, "So, what is your first class?"

"Um, orchestra I think." Kanaya responded hesitantly. She didn't like people knowing she was a band nerd. It made some people think of her as even more of a weirdo than she already was.

"Really? Me too! What do you play? I play the violin." Rose said excitedly.

"Oh? I do as well. That's cool." Kanaya was trying to keep her cool on the outside, but inside she was jumping up and down with joy. It was nice having someone in at least one class with her every day. Now she had someone she could rely on.

They arrived at school and headed to the band hall. No one had their instruments with them, because they had emailed out saying for the first week they wouldn't be reading any music. Rose and Kanaya walked in, and Rose was promptly tackle-hugged by a blonde boy wearing dark sunglasses, even though they were indoors. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Rose! Hey I'm glad you're here! I wasn't sure if you were going to be in orchestra again after-" The boy stopped mid-sentence and looked at Kanaya. "Oh hey. You must be Rose's new friend Kanaya. Sup, I'm Dave Strider." He held his hand out, and Kanaya took it.

"Oh. Hi Dave. Did Rose tell you about me?"

"Uh-huh. Went on and on about you this morning." Dave chuckled.

Rose blushed and smacked Dave's arm. "I did not!"

"Ow! That hurt." Dave exclaimed as he rubbed his arm. "Anyway, what instrument do you play? I play drums. Well, actually, I'm a percussionist, but outside of school I play a drum kit and mix songs on turntables."

"Wow. That's really cool. I play the violin." Kanaya said, her eyes twinkling. She could talk about the violin for hours. "So, this is probably a weird question to ask, but are you two… you know… a 'thing'?"

Rose and Dave looked at her, then at each other, and started laughing. Kanaya blushed, knowing the answer was probably an obvious yes.

"No, we aren't dating. Dave is my step-brother." Rose explained. Kanaya let out a sigh of, was it relief?

"Well, we _were_ step-siblings, but my dad…" Dave hesitated, looking for the right word, "left her mom a while ago. We still consider each other step-siblings though. We have been really close for a lot of our lives." It looked like Dave would have continued to talk, but the bell rang, so all the students rushed to sit with their new section as the teacher walked in, greeting the kids.

Rose, Kanaya and Dave walked out of Orchestra after the bell rang, music in hand. "Well, I'm off to Chemistry. See ya Rose. Nice meeting you Kanaya." Dave said, walking down to the science wing.

Rose waved to Dave, then looked at Kanaya. "I have Creative Writing next. Bye Kanaya." She leaned in and hugged the sophomore.

"Bye Rose." Kanaya said, then walked off to the art classroom for her next class. Since art was one of her more favored subjects, she sat near at the front table and waited for class to begin. Just as the late bell rang, two girls walked in. Just by looking at them, Kanaya could tell they were popular. The way their hair was done, the clothes they wore, the expressions on their faces. These were girls who she should not mess with. They started walking towards Kanaya's table. _Oh great. Just what I need._

The girl with fuchsia glasses spoke first. "Um, excuse me, but who said you could sit here?"

Kanaya, not wanting to deal with this, simply replied, "Well, apparently the teacher, according to her note on the board that reads 'Sit anywhere'. Oh, I'm sorry. Just because you have glasses doesn't actually mean you can read." She figured if she was going to sass someone, might as well be to someone who looks like they teach courses in sass.

The other girl with blue lipstick sneered at Kanaya. "I don't think you know who you are talking to. This is Feferi Peixes. As in, the girl whose grandmother founded this school. She isn't mean enough to say anything back, but I sure am. The name's Vriska Serket. Better memorize that name, because the next time you will need it is when you tell the nurses at the hospital who wrecked your body so badly."

Kanaya kept a calm expression, but was internally screaming like a 3-year-old girl who just saw a scary clown. "Well, _Vriska_ , I'm glad you are all buddy-buddy with the girl who is heir to the school, but a seat is a seat. Can you please go find somewhere else to sit? Preferably somewhere not near me? I would appreciate it."

Vriska looked about ready to throttle Kanaya, but luckily the teacher walked in. Vriska narrowed her eyes at Kanaya, then walked off with Feferi to go find a seat.

 _Whew. That was something. Better watch out for them in the future._ Kanaya sighed and took out her personal sketchbook.

Rose sat down in her creative writing class and immediately pulled out her notebook and pencil. She loved writing. It was her way of expressing herself when she needed to desperately. It really helped her out a few years ago when she thought her world was over.

A few minutes later, the bell rang and the teacher walked in. "Hello class. Welcome to creative writing. Now, I could be like all the other teachers and make you write about your summer or something like that, but this is creative writing, and we do things differently. So, instead of writing about ourselves, we are going to write about someone we know. I want everyone to pick a person, could be your friend, a family member, a person you don't particularly like, whoever, and write about them as if you were them. That will be your first major grade. It will be due next Wednesday. I'm giving you so long because I want you to put some real thought into this. Try and put yourself in their shoes. Now, onto today's lesson…"

Rose had practically stopped listening at that point, because she was too worried about who she would write about. She started to list people she knew. _Mom. Well, I could, but it would mostly be a paper about drinking and cleaning. Dave. That could be a fun one to do, but if we have to get really personal with the details, I don't know if I would be comfortable with that. Kanaya. I just really don't know her that well. I suppose we are getting together this weekend. Maybe that will give me enough to write a half-decent paper. If not, I will just write about Dave._

Rose's thoughts were interrupted by the lunch bell. She quickly gathered her stuff and headed for the lunchroom.

 **Thanks again for reading this. I really appreciate it. Please leave a review if you liked it. :)**

 **~Jane**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since the last update, I have been really busy. But now things have calmed down and I can hopefully start posting a bit more regularly again!**

 **As you will find in this chapter I want to try and incorporate my knowledge of French into my story. If you know French, great! If not, don't fret, I will have translations down at the bottom of the story.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything related to Homestuck. All the cool stuff is owned by Andrew Hussie. I simply take his characters and reformat them into a story with less death and aliens (Not that I am complaining about those things)**

Chapter 3

Lunch finally rolled around. Kanaya grabbed her food and started looking for Rose. _Maybe if I just ask, it will be fine for me to sit with them. I mean, they are all pretty cool right?_ Kanaya found a red and white shirt running towards a table, and figured it was Dave, so that must be where they sit. She followed him to the table. Dave saw her and motioned her over. "Sup Kanaya! Do you want to sit with us?" He motioned to the table filled only with Rose, himself, a boy with glasses, and another boy with red hair and an expression that made it seem like he was pissed off at someone.

"Uh, yeah sure. That would be great." She sat down next to Rose. "So Rose, what class do you have next?"

Rose fished for her schedule in her backpack, eventually finding it and saying, "French 2. What about you?"

"Actually, same. Wow, we have three classes together in total. That's kinda cool."

The mad-looking boy piped up, "I think French is a boring language. German is a lot cooler."

Dave gave the boy a light punch on the arm. "Hey, be quiet. What language you like is personal opinion. Maybe Kanaya finds it an extremely fascinating language."

Rose looked at Kanaya, who had a multitude of emotions on her face, and realized, "Oh, you don't know these other two idiots. Let me introduce everyone. Well, you know Dave. The guy with glasses and a weird obsession for biology is John Egbert, and the grouchy one is Karkat Vantas. Karkat and Dave have been inseparable since they were little, so I'm told. The best of friends before they knew what being friends meant. Karkat, John, this is Kanaya Maryam. She is new to the state and lives a few houses down from me."

Karkat and John simultaneously said "Hey Kanaya" even though their tone was completely different.

Rose looked at the clock. "Well, I guess we should get to class. The bell is about to ring. Shall we?" She offered her arm for Kanaya to hook hers around.

Kanaya, seeing the friendly offer, smiled. "We shall." They hooked arms and walked to French class.

The two girls walked into class and sat down next to each other. They each took out their notebooks as the bell rang.

" _Bonjour et bienvenue au français deux, classe_." The French teacher said walking in to class. She promptly gave us an assignment to write about our summer using as much French as we remember from last school year. Both Kanaya and Rose began scribbling on their papers, smirking at each other.

The final bell rang, and the class gathered up their stuff and walked out. Rose and Kanaya fell into step with each other. "So, how are you liking Alternia High so far?" Rose asked, clearly wanting to spark up conversation.

Kanaya thought for a minute. "It's cool. It looks a lot nicer than the last school I was at, and the people are generally nicer. The last school I was at, Westwood High School, was really rough. There were a lot of gangs there, and fights broke out often."

"Oh my gosh. Were you involved in any of them?" Rose asked, seriously hoping the answer was no.

Kanaya blushed. "Yeah, I was involved in one or two, but it was because I was sticking up for my friend who was in really big trouble at the time. Anyway, the teachers and students are generally nice at Alternia. Though, I did have a run in with these two girls in my art class. Their names were Feferi and Vriska. Feferi wasn't _overly_ rude, but Vriska looked like she wanted to kill me. Of course, I may have sassed them just a bit."

Rose groaned and put her face in her hands. "Oh no, Kanaya. Those are two girls you _definitely_ don't want to mess with. They will do whatever it takes to get back at you now."

"Tch. I'm not scared of them. If they have a problem with me I will take them on anytime. I gotta go. See ya tomorrow." Kanaya waved and turned towards her house.

"See you." Rose called, then continued walking.

"How was your day?" Porrim called from the computer.

Kanaya closed the door behind her. "It was fine. Rose is in two of my classes on B-days, and even plays the same instrument as me."

"That's nice. I'm glad you two seem to be getting along. Anything else interesting?" Porrim asked.

"Well, not exactly a good interesting, but these two girls looked like they wanted to kill me just 'cause I sat in her seat in art class."

Porrim immediately turned around. "What? Exactly what happened?"

Kanaya hesitated, regretting telling her sister about that. "Well, I sat down in the front of the room for art class, because the board said 'sit anywhere', then these two girls came in demanding I move. I asked why and the one girl said because the other girl's grandmother founded the school. I said no, they can sit somewhere else, and the first girl looked like she wanted to murder me on the spot."

Porrim's eyes got really big. "That's awful! Did she hurt you at all?"

Kanaya watched her sister's eyes scan her body for injuries. "No. It really wasn't much of a big deal. Really, I'm fine."

Her sister sighed. "Okay, but tell me if it gets any worse, alright?"

"Will do. Whatcha doing?" Kanaya asked, pulling up a chair next to her sister.

Her older sister sighed. "Just looking for a job. There's one for an elementary school art teacher that sounds promising." Her sister got her teaching degree a few years ago when they lived in southern California, but didn't do much with it except for a minor teaching job here and there.

"Are you going to apply? I think you should. You're great with kids and you love art." Kanaya was glad her sister was actually looking for a permanent job. It wasn't anything official, but it was more than just words.

"Yeah I think I will. That way I get the same holidays you do mostly. We can still hang out a lot."

Kanaya hugged Porrim. "That's great. I'm going to go cook dinner for us, okay?"

"Sounds good." Porrim turned back to the computer, and Kanaya got up and started to cook pasta for dinner.

Rose got home to find her mother sleeping as usual. She quietly crept upstairs, narrowly avoiding stepping on her mom's cat Frigglish. She made her way to her room where Mutini was waiting curled up on the bed. The cat meowed when she walked up to the bed. "Hehe, hey Mutini. I see you had a relaxing day." She put her stuff down and pulled out her phone. She opened her messages and clicked on Dave's name.

 _Rose: hey dave. how was your day?_

 _Dave: It was fine. How about you?_

 _Rose: fine. what did you think of kanaya today?_

 _Dave: She seems really cool. You two seem pretty close after only two days._

 _Rose: i know. it's kinda awesome. i have a really good feeling that this friendship will last a really long time._

 _Dave: That's good Rose. I'm proud of you. Hey I gtg Bro is calling for me. Probably got a puppet stuck in the toilet or something._

 _Rose: lol. alright i'll see you tomorrow._

 _Dave: Yea see you then._

Rose put her phone down and picked up her violin and began to play. She loved the feel of the strings underneath her fingers. It calmed her down. She put all her emotion into her music and played until she decided it was time for dinner.

Rose meandered downstairs and opened the fridge. It mostly contained spirits of different kinds, courtesy of her mother. She eventually decided she would just make a turkey and cheese sandwich and make herself some tea. She really liked tea.

Rose put her food on the table and went to grab her laptop. She could not stop thinking about what Kanaya had told her about her old school. It bothered her that Kanaya got into so much trouble there. It made her even more relieved that she was here in Rainbow Falls now. She sat down and searched for Westwood High School, and immediately saw a bunch of reports about gang fights and arrests. She clicked on a few links to start investigating. _This is no place for a girl like Kanaya. Sure, she seems pretty tough, but she also seems to care a lot for her friends. I hope she didn't lose anyone in these fights_. Rose sighed and continued to read the countless news stories late into the night.

 **Translations**

 _Bonjour et bienvenue au français deux, classe._ = Hello and welcome to French two, class.

 **Well thank you for reading yet another chapter. I hope everyone is enjoying it! I sure am enjoying writing this. Please leave reviews and likes and follow and whatever it is you guys want to do. Perhaps tell your friends? That would be nice.**

 **~Jane**


	4. Chapter 4

**I apologize for the last chapter not having any lines. The site was being a pain and not putting them in correctly. Sorry...**

 **Now, with this chapter.**

 **A storm is coming, my friends. It will spare no soul.**

 **You have been warned.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Homestuck! We know Andrew Hussie wrote it. Do I really have to keep writing it?**

Chapter 4

The rest of the week was pretty boring for Kanaya. She started getting a bit of homework from some of her teachers, rehearsals were set to start next week in orchestra, and Vriska and Feferi didn't seem very interested in bothering her much. By Friday, she knew her way around the school almost completely, which excited her a bit. She just couldn't wait for Saturday to arrive so she could have her sleepover with Rose.

At lunch on Friday, conversations seemed very lively at their lunch table. When Kanaya walked up, Dave and Karkat were having an intense discussion.

"All I'm saying is that you should at least give it a try. You might actually enjoy it." Dave said to Karkat.

"And all _I'm_ saying is you are such a nerd when it comes to this stuff, and I have no interest in attempting to try it." Karkat responded back, clearly annoyed with this conversation.

Kanaya chuckled and sat down next to Rose. "What are they arguing about now?"

Rose sighed. "Dave is trying to get Karkat to watch some anime show his Bro got him hooked on. Black Butler I think."

"Ah. Well, I have seen a few episodes, and it was pretty good. My favorite character is definitely Grell Sutcliff. I mean, who wouldn't love a character who wields a chainsaw?" Kanaya said with some excitement, some sarcasm, knowing that weapons are definitely not everyone's interest.

Rose laughed softly. Gosh she loved that laugh. "Anyway, you excited for tomorrow? I sure am. I can't wait to spend the night with you!"

Kanaya's eyes gleamed with joy. Now she at least knew she wasn't doing this to be friendly, but she was genuinely interested in being good friends with her. "Yeah I am so excited. Do you want me to bring anything specific?"

The blonde pondered this question for a minute. "Not really, unless there is some junk food that you really want to bring."

"Sounds good to me." Kanaya responded, then continued with her food.

* * *

Rose left lunch a few minutes earlier than everyone else from lunch so she could go fix her lipstick. She loved the black, but it was such a hassle to keep putting on sometimes. As she entered the bathroom she got pushed against the wall by two sets of hands. After recovering from almost getting spun around and pinned, she looked at who grabbed her, and it was none other than Vriska and Feferi. _Great_ , she thought to herself, _what could they possibly want with me?_ "Look, whatever you want, I probably don't have it. I'm not the kind of person to carry drugs or drug money on me unfortunately for you. Or did you want me to do your homework for you? I know you have a hard time with simple adding and subtracting." Rose didn't care that more sarcasm was dripping from her words than she should allow. She knew these girls' reputation well enough.

"Oh. So it _was_ you who taught the little s'more to drip venom from her fangs. Good, now we know who to punish." Vriska looked at Rose and cracked her knuckles. "That little girlfriend of yours behaved poorly in front of Feferi, and someone has to pay the consequences. Do you know where her next class is? I'm sure you do."

Rose narrowed her eyes, already so done with this conversation. "First of all, she's not my girlfriend. I don't know where you got that idea. Second of all, why on earth would I tell you where she is now? I'm not going to just let you beat her up for no good reason." She spat at Vriska's shoes.

Vriska was red with anger now. "Well, I guess we will just have to take it out on the source then won't we?" She swung at Rose, smacking her square in the jaw, knocking her to the ground. Rose promptly kicked her foot out, connecting with Vriska's ankle and sending her to the ground. Unfortunately for Rose, she landed on top of her, so Vriska pinned her to the ground. She straddled her and punched the blonde in the face a few times before getting up. "That's right. I hope you learned your lesson punk." The two girls walked out of the bathroom.

Rose lay on the ground in pain and started crying. Her nose was bleeding and she could feel several bruises forming on her face already. She couldn't go to Pre-Cal like this, especially not with Kanaya there. She didn't want to explain what had happened. She pulled out her phone and called her mom, hoping she was awake. After a few rings, she picked up.

Rose sniffled. "Mom? Can you please come pick me up? I got hurt really badly."

"Of course. Around the back of the school then?" Roxy's voice seemed filled with motherly concern, which was unusual for her.

"Yes please. I will head back there now. Thanks mom." She hung up, gathered her stuff, and headed out, making sure no one could see her. She made a beeline for the back door, where her mom was already there with their car. She got in and started sobbing.

"Rose honey, what happened?" Roxy asked, somewhat alarmed at her daughter's state.

"Some girls started beating me up. Please just get me home. Please." Rose continued to cry as her mom drove them home. When they arrived, she ran up to her room and locked the door. She texted Kanaya quickly, then lay on her bed for a while, contemplating what to do next. _I haven't in a while. I promised I wouldn't ever again. But this is worse than I ever anticipated. Maybe just one or two. I won't go overboard. Just enough to forget._ She got up and crept downstairs, avoiding her mom, grabbed some stuff from the fridge, then darted back upstairs, locking the door once more.

* * *

Kanaya walked to Pre-Cal by herself after lunch ended. The late bell rang, and Rose still hadn't returned from the bathroom. _She might just be a few minutes late_. Kanaya reassured herself. No reason to panic. The teacher came in and started class, telling the class to open their textbooks.

About 10 minutes through class, she got a text. She quickly checked her messages, seeing it was from Rose.

 _Rose: Hey, you'll have to walk home by yourself today. I had to go home. I got sick. Sorry._

Kanaya didn't bother to type a response. _Poor thing. I hope she feels better soon_.

Class finally ended, and she made her way home by herself. Her sister left a note saying she was out shopping. She sat down to watch TV when her phone buzzed. She opened her messages.

 _?: Sup Kanaya. So I hear you like Black Butler._

 _Kanaya: Ummmm, Who Is This?_

 _?: Oh, sorry. This is Dave Strider. Sorry. Rose gave me your number._

 _Kanaya: Oh! Hi Dave. Yeah, As I Said At Lunch, I Watched A Few Episodes Of Black Butler. I Wouldn't Say I'm A Huge Fan Of The Anime, But It's Cool._

 _Dave: I understand. Everyone likes different things. Anyway, Karkat's here. Do you mind telling him that it's not terrible?_

 _Kanaya: Haha Okay. Karkat, Black Butler Isn't Terrible. There Are Definitely Things Out There You Might Enjoy More, But I Think You Should Give It A Chance._

 _Dave: I DON'T SEE WHY DAVE IS MAKING A BIG DEAL OUT OF THIS! IT'S JUST A SHOW!_

 _Kanaya: Well, How About You Watch Some Black Butler, And Then You Make Him Watch Or Do Something You Enjoy._

 _Dave: YOU KNOW KANAYA, THAT MAY BE THE SMARTEST THING ANYONE HAS SAID TO ME ALL WEEK. THANK YOU._

 _Kanaya: Lol Happy I Could Help._

 _Dave: Oh gosh what did you just do?_

Kanaya giggled and turned on the TV, watching until her sister walked in the door.

"Hey Porrim! Any luck applying for that job?"

Porrim put the groceries down and gave her little sister a hug. "Yeah. I actually submitted my application today. How was your day?"

"It was fine. Poor Rose left just after lunch. Texted me saying she got sick." Kanaya said sympathetically.

"Aw poor thing. Well hopefully she feels better by tomorrow."

"Yeah. I hope so too. Do you want me to help with dinner?" Kanaya always wanted to make sure her sister wasn't working herself too much.

"Nope, I think I got it. You just go up to your room. I'll call you when it's ready.

"Alright." Kanaya grabbed her school stuff and made her way up to her room.

* * *

It was about 6 pm, and Kanaya could smell dinner from upstairs. _Mmmm. Meatloaf._ She liked the smell of meatloaf. Something about it smelled like home cooking, even though this one was frozen. Suddenly Kanaya's phone started ringing. The screen said Rose on it. Grinning, she picked it up.

"Hi Rose! Feeling better?"

"Uh. Hi Kanaya. This is Rose's mom." She sounded panicked. What sounded like a mixture of screaming and crying could be heard in the background. _I didn't think Rose had a younger sibling_.

"Oh, hi Ms. Lalonde. Why are you calling on Rose's phone?"

"I don't have much time to explain. I know you were supposed to come over tomorrow, but Rose is acting out again and won't open her door or listen to me. Could you come over tonight and maybe talk some sense into her? She seems to listen to you."

"Uh, sure thing. Do I need to bring anything? Is she alright?"

"No, you don't have to bring anything, and no, she is definitely not alright. Oh my gosh, even _I_ have never been this bad. How fast can you get here?" Rose's mom seemed more panicked by the second.

"I might be able to leave right now." Kanaya started to worry.

Ms. Lalonde sighed. "Okay good. We are five houses down from you on the same side of the street. The front door is unlocked. See you soon." She hung up.

Kanaya grabbed her jacket and ran downstairs. "Porrim, I'm sorry, but I won't be able to eat dinner. Rose's mom just called me and Rose is in trouble and won't listen to her. Can I leave for her house now?"

Porrim looked really concerned. "Of course. Here." She handed Kanaya some dinner in plastic containers. "Take some of this for the two of you. It may help."

Kanaya took the offer. "Thanks. Love you Rim." She hugged her sister and flew out the door.

* * *

 **Trust me when I say I love you guys... Really. Please don't kill me. Justice will prevail! Or just the storyline. Anyway, Review and Follow this story, and thanks to you who have already done that. You are all greatly appreciated.**

 **~Jane**


	5. Chapter 5

**I would like to start off by apologizing for not being on a regular upload schedule. My life has been pretty hectic and I feel really awful about that. Maybe we could agree on an every other week schedule? That sounds good. Perhaps there will be an occasional weekly upload.**

 **Also, hopefully you won't kill me after the last chapter. I'm sorry. Actually no I'm not. Mwahahahahaha.**

 **Anyway…**

 **DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Homestuck. Yes, Hussie does. We have established this. On with the story.**

* * *

Chapter 5

Kanaya ran down her street, counting houses. _One, two, three, four, five! This is it!_ She tested the door, and found it was indeed unlocked as Ms. Lalonde had said. She ran upstairs and found Rose's mom standing at what was presumably Rose's door.

"Oh thank goodness you're here. I'm going to leave you two, because I suspect she won't open the door if I'm around. Will you try getting through to her?" Rose's mom pleaded. They looked very similar, Rose and her mom. Kanaya imagined that's what Rose will look like eventually. She hoped to be around to see that.

"Sure thing Ms. Lalonde. I will try."

"Please, call me Roxy."

"Alright, Roxy. I will see if she will open up to me." Kanaya turned towards Rose's door and Roxy went downstairs.

"Rose? R-Rose it's me, Kanaya. Will you please open up? Can we just talk about whatever is wrong?" She heard a sniffle on the other side of the door.

"No. I can't let you see me like this."

 _Oh my gosh. It's worse than I thought._ Kanaya, trying not to panic, searched for a key. After searching to no avail, she took a bobby pin out of her pocket and picked the lock on Rose's door. She opened it to find something she never thought she would ever see from anyone other than her sister.

The room was fairly in order, but in the middle of the floor, lay Rose. She was covered in bruises and blood, and she was surrounded by half-drunken bottles of spirits. Kanaya gasped and put her hand up to her mouth.

"I said GO AWAY!" She threw a shoe at Kanaya, narrowly missing her. Her aim was pretty good for someone who seemed so wasted. "You don't want to be near this monster."

"Rose? _Rose… what happened_? _Oh mon dieu_ Rose, this is _not_ you."

"Awful isn't it? It hasn't been this bad in a looooonnggg time." Rose's words slurred as she sat up to face Kanaya. She reached for her trash can and vomited.

Kanaya walked over to Rose and sat down next to her. "Rose… you didn't go home because you were sick did you? What really happened? And please tell me the truth. You really have nowhere else to run. Not that you can run anyway, let alone stand up."

Rose looked at Kanaya, tears filling her eyes. "I… Vriska beat me up. She said she had to punish the one who taught you to be sarcastic, and she assumed that was me. I'm so sorry."

Kanaya's eyes got really big. Well, that explained the bruises. "Don't apologize. This is my fault. I shouldn't have said anything to her. I'm so sorry." Kanaya fought back tears and hugged Rose.

"I was so upset that I came home, stole some of my mom's bottles, and locked myself in here. I don't care what happens to me." Rose said, articulating each word carefully.

Kanaya sighed. "Okay. We will talk about this tomorrow, when you can think. For now, let's talk about something else. I brought some food." She pulled out the two containers of meatloaf, giving one to Rose. "Eat. I'm sure it will help."

Rose took the container, but couldn't manage to open it.

 _Of course, she won't be able to do much tonight._ Kanaya took the container from Rose and opened it for her. She picked up the fork and began feeding her. Rose didn't bother fighting her.

After they had finished eating, Rose stared at Kanaya. "What Rose?" Kanaya asked curiously.

"You know Kanaya, you are a really great person. I love that we know each other." Rose said, eyes starting to droop.

"I'm glad I know you too, Rose. Hopefully tomorrow you and I can sort things out and-" Kanaya was cut off mid-sentence by Rose's lips meeting hers. Kanaya wondered for a second if she should fight it, but the other girl's lips felt right against hers. They were so soft and tasted like wine. She loved it. They seemed to fit just right and they were so- _No. This isn't right. What am I doing?_ Kanaya broke the kiss, face turning redder than a tomato, and Rose fell asleep on the floor. Kanaya sat dazed for a minute, still wondering what just happened. _I mean, she probably only did that because she's drunk. But why did I start enjoying it? I have only ever had one relationship, and that didn't go extremely well, but it was with a guy._ She decided not to dwell on what had happened. She grabbed two pillows and blankets from Rose's bed, putting one pillow and blanket with Rose, and one with her, and drifted to sleep.

* * *

Rose woke up with a startle when she saw Kanaya sitting next to her, reading a book. She sat up, and put her hand to her head. She had a serious headache.

"Oh good. You're up. How are you feeling?" Kanaya asked with a motherly concern.

Rose squinted her eyes, trying to remember what happened yesterday. "Fine, I think. Head hurts. Why are you here? You weren't supposed to be here until later tonight."

Kanaya looked at her like she was a hurt deer. "Rose… How much of last night do you remember?"

"Well, I got home because I… I got beat up by Vriska, and then… Then I… Oh no!" She looked down, seeing all the bottles around her. She put her head and her hands and just kept repeating "Oh no oh no oh no! Not again! Dammit! Why?"

Kanaya took Rose's hands away from her face and looked into her eyes. "Rose, what's wrong. Why are you so upset about this? I mean, I know it's bad to drink this much, but why are you freaking out?"

Rose sighed. "It's a long story. You probably wouldn't understand anyway."

"Lucky for you I've got plenty of time. Try me." Kanaya said to Rose, almost challenging her.

"Okay. So, a few years ago, Dave's dad was my stepdad. He and my mom were really happy for the first year or two, then he started getting controlling. He would abuse me, my mom, Dave, and his brother Dirk. My mom put up with it because she needed the money he brought home, but she also said she still loved him. One night, she found out he had been cheating on her, but she didn't want to give up the fact that she was supposed to have this picture perfect life. So, to escape the idea that her world was shattering, she would heavily drink. Sometimes it wasn't that bad, but other nights she would verbally and physically abuse me and Dave. Dave's dad eventually left us, leaving Dave and his older brother in my mom's custody. But the drinking and abuse from my mom didn't stop. It only got worse. Dave got the worst of it, especially after his brother went off to college. He never really did much about it up front, no more than I did anyway. I could tell it really hurt him not to have a strong male figure around him all the time. One night I came home from my friends' house, and I found Dave in the bathroom cutting himself."

Kanaya flinched at that and instinctively held her arm. "Rose… that's awful!"

The blond sighed. "Oh but it gets worse. I just about lost it then and there, seeing him like that. I felt like I didn't have anyone who I could really depend on. He's better about it now, especially since his brother finished college in Houston and moved back here to be his legal guardian. My mom sent herself to therapy, and her drinking problems got a lot better, but they still haven't quite gone away. I never made very many friends after that, unsure of who to trust. I went to therapy for about a year after all of that happened, but the therapists never really understood what I was going through, so I caught myself once or twice drinking the night away. I would wake up the next morning crying, because I am turning into my psychotic mother. Last night was by far the worst it's ever been, though. So that's why I'm freaking out."

Kanaya just looked at her in shock, unsure of what to say. Eventually, she broke the silence. "Rose, that's terrible. I had no idea that it was so bad."

Rose hiccupped and sniffled. "Yeah. Quite exciting compared to your good life I'm sure."

Kanaya wiped a tear from Rose's cheek. "I wouldn't say my life was that hectic, but it definitely wasn't amazing. See, my parents were killed when I was little, leaving my sister Porrim to take care of me. She was about 16 at the time. She saw the murder of my parents with her own eyes, so she went crazy and eventually went on drinking episodes. Because of that, she couldn't keep a job very long. Between that and her love of alcohol, cigarettes, tattoos, and piercings, we never had much money, and kept hopping around from place to place. I have never had a full year at once school since my parents died. Because of that, I stopped trying to make friends, because I wouldn't know if I was staying there for a semester, a month, or a week. It always varied. When we moved here, Porrim said she was going to try hard to lay off the drinking and find a stable job, providing I find some friends and make an effort to like it here."

Rose stared at Kanaya in awe. "Wow Kanaya, I guess we do have some stuff in common."

"Yeah. Okay, so I have a proposal for you. I will stop if you stop."

Rose looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean? I mean, I know you mean stop drinking for me, but what about you?"

Kanaya hesitated for a second, but eventually continued. "Okay, so no one knows about this, no one on this entire earth, and you have to promise to keep it a secret. Ugh you're going to hate me."

"I promise I won't. Tell me." The blonde leaned in closer.

She sighed. "Okay." Kanaya shrugged off her jacket slowly and hesitantly, revealing cuts up her right arm. Some of them were old, so faded you could hardly see them, but others were clearly more recent, red and raw.

Rose gasped. "But Kanaya, why?"

"Well, when Porrim would go on another one of her episodes, she would yell at me sometimes for being useless or whatever. She never hit me, but being how young I was, the words hurt. So this is the result of that. The deal still stands. I'll stop if you will."

Rose shed another tear and choked out. "Okay."

Kanaya pulled her jacket back on and hugged Rose tightly.

After a while, they pulled back from their embrace, and Rose asked. "Kanaya, what all did I do last night? Did I hurt you at all?"

"No! No. Actually, all that happened was you threw a shoe at me, which missed me. Then I fed you some meatloaf and you told me why you were so bruised up. Then…" Kanaya trailed off, not sure if she should include that last part.

Rose noticed there was more the other girl wasn't telling her. "Yes? And then?"

She stuttered. "A-and then… you kissed me for like half a minute and fell asleep." Kanaya blushed as she rushed through the sentence.

Rose's eyes went huge, and her face went bright red. "Oh my gosh Kanaya. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel so uncomfortable."

"No, don't apologize. You must have just not been thinking straight right? I mean, you were drunk off your butt." Kanaya responded, trying not to sound like she enjoyed the kiss just a bit.

Rose looked relieved. "Yeah I guess you're right. Well, since you're here, shall we spend today together instead of tomorrow?"

Kanaya grinned. "That sounds wonderful." The two girls got up and went downstairs to make breakfast.

* * *

"Hey Dave! Wake up, I want food!" Karkat was practically yelling in his ear. The two of them had spent the night at Dave and his brother's apartment.

Dave grumbled. "If you want food so bad, get it yourself." He turned over in his bed.

Karkat sighed dramatically. "Do you not remember what happened last time I tried to use that dang stove? I almost burned down your whole apartment."

Dave grimaced, remembering that morning. "Fine. You win. I'll get up." He got up, put on a shirt, and walked to the kitchen with Karkat. "What do you want to eat?"

"Do you have any eggs?" Karkat asked while messing up his already disheveled red hair.

"Yeah we have a few left. Thank goodness Bro is going shopping today." He took out some eggs and a pan. "So, what do you want to do today?" He cracked the eggs and put them in the pan, turning on the stove.

"Oh you know, I figured we would do our hair and nails and talk about boys. You know, what else would we do at a sleepover?" Karkat said sarcastically and smirked.

Dave turned around and looked at him, narrowing his eyes. "Alright smart alek, who do you have an eye on at school then? I know you have a crush on someone."

The boy did a double take. "M-me? Oh no one. No one at all."

The blonde boy looked at Karkat through his shades challengingly. "C'mon dude. I can tell you have a crush on someone. Is it Jade from Chemistry? She's pretty cute." He lightly nudged Karkat in the ribs.

"Wha- no hey cut that out! No it's not Jade. Fine, I do have my eye on someone. You know them." Karkat blushed. Dave knew he never blushed, so he must really like this girl.

"Alright then, who is it?" Dave took the eggs off the pan and put them on a plate. He put some toast in the toaster.

"You're mental if you think I'll just _tell_ you!" Karkat said defensively.

Dave put his hands up. "Okay okay, I won't pester ya." He got margarine out of the fridge and started buttering the toast.

"Good. What do you want to drink?" Karkat asked quickly, clearly trying to change the subject.

Dave finished buttering the toast. "Just some apple juice." He picked the plates up and brought them to the table. Karkat came just behind him with a cup of apple juice and a cup of water. The two boys sat down and began eating.

A few minutes later, someone walked into the kitchen wearing nothing but boxers. "Morning." He put the coffee pot on.

"Oh geez Dirk, go put a shirt on! We have a guest over." Dave found a puppet on the table and threw it at his brother.

Without even turning around, Dirk caught the puppet before it hit him. "Don't. Even. Try. Me. Anyway, I know we have a guest over. You seemed to be in no modest dress yourself." He said, referring to his brother's own t-shirt and boxer shorts.

Dave rolled his eyes. "Well, at least I _have_ a shirt on. Just because _you're_ gay doesn't mean every other guy is."

Dirk turned around and narrowed his eyes. Dave couldn't actually see it through his glasses, but he knew they were narrowed. "Tch. Fine. I'll go put a shirt on." He trumped off to his bedroom.

"Sorry about that. He gets stubborn in the mornings. Probably 'cause he hasn't seen his boyfriend in a while." Dave continued to eat his breakfast.

"Do your parents mind that he's gay?" Karkat asked curiously.

Dave tensed up. "I wouldn't know. My mom died just after I was born, and my dad isn't legally allowed to be in the same state as me."

Karkat looked at Dave sympathetically. "I'm sorry. I- I didn't know."

" 'Sokay. Most people don't. It's not something I really talk about much. I try not to dwell on it. Anyway, if you're done, we can go play Halo or something."

"Yeah, that sounds great." The boys cleared their plates, and went to Dave's room to go play on the Xbox.

* * *

"So, I have a question for you." Kanaya said to Rose as she handed her the pancakes they made.

"Shoot." Rose responded, stuffing a forkful of pancakes into her mouth.

"Okay. I don't mean to sound rude, but lavender eyes aren't a natural eye color usually. Do you just wear color contacts? Sorry that sounds really arrogant." Kanaya cut off a small piece of pancake and put it in her mouth.

Rose chuckled and swallowed her food. "No, it's a good question. No, I don't wear colored contacts. On my 10th birthday, my mom said I could do any one thing to my body that I wanted. I already had my ears pierced, and I didn't want a tattoo at 10 years old, so I went with colored eyes. So we went to the eye doctor, and they did some sort of surgery to genetically alter the color of my eyes. They used to be a muddy brown, and I wanted eyes no one else had."

Kanaya smiled. "That's really cool. I don't really like my eye color either. I might do that sometime too."

"No! Your eyes are the prettiest emerald green I have ever seen. I could stare at them all day. Like the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz." Rose said. She stared at Kanaya's eyes for a while, then blushed. "Sorry, I know it's rude to stare."

Kanaya giggled. "It's okay. That's actually really nice of you to say. I have never liked the color of my eyes, so having someone say otherwise is nice. Thank you."

The blonde smiled. "It's my pleasure. Well, if you're done with your breakfast, we can go back up to my room. I need to know everything about you if I want to write that paper." She took both of their plates and put them in the sink. Both girls walked up to Rose's room.

"Okay, so what do you want to ask me?" Kanaya said while sitting down on the bed next to Rose.

Rose thought for a moment, then responded. "I know you have only been at this school for a week, and you don't know many people, but do have a crush on anyone?"

Kanaya was taken aback by the question. _Is this her way of seeing if I felt anything from the kiss? Does she think I have feelings for her?_ Do _I have feelings for her? Does she have feelings for me?_ "Uhhh… I think I like someone, but I'm not really sure. I have kind of gotten mixed emotions from hanging out with them.

"Ooooooooohhh who is it? Is it Dave? Please say no. I mean, if it is, good for you, but I think he likes someone else, I just don't know who."

Kanaya burst out laughing. "No, no it's not Dave. He seems too much of a cool type to date anyway. He's a good friend, but not really anything else."

Rose grinned and wiped her forehead. "Whew. Good. Well, if it's not Dave, then who is it? Please tell me, I want to know! If you tell me who it is, I'll tell you who I like."

"Intriguing. Since you seem more sure of your emotions, you say first, then I will tell you." Kanaya wanted to see if she should even follow through with her feelings.

"Fine, I won't directly tell you though, I will give you hints and you have to guess who it is." Rose said, sounding like a little kid.

Kanaya rolled her eyes. "Fine. Go."

Rose clapped. "Yay! Okay, so this person is one you know. They are a sophomore, dark hair, really smart, really good looking, and seems to have a knack for science and math."

"Hmmmmm… Okay before I answer I have a question for you. You look 16, but you're a junior. How come? Shouldn't you be a sophomore?" Kanaya asked, stalling so she could think.

"Yes, I was born in December, so technically I should be a sophomore, but I skipped a grade in middle school. Now, who did I describe?" Rose asked excitedly.

"Uh… is it John?" Kanaya guessed.

The other girl hesitated, then burst out laughing. "Heck no. John is a friend, but that is all he will ever be. Any other guesses?"

"No. Not really. That was my only guess."

Rose grinned a half-grin. "Well, maybe this will help." She leaned in and pressed her lips softly against Kanaya's. Kanaya's eyes grew wide and heat rushed to her face, turning it bright red. _Should I break it off? Should I kiss her back? I mean, I still don't think I know how I really feel about her._ Eventually, her passion took over her brains, and she let her eyes flutter closed and kissed her back. She didn't kiss with too much intensity, matching the other girls' movements, their bodies seeming to melt together. After what seemed like forever, even though it was only a few seconds, Rose broke it off, and smiled. "So, I guess that answers my question to you."

Kanaya with her head spinning, responded back. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Rose smirked and rolled her eyes. "I think you know what I mean. You wouldn't kiss me back if you didn't feel the same way. So, does it answer my question?"

"W-well, I mean…" Kanaya sighed. "Yes. I didn't think so, but after that, yes. It does. I didn't even know I could feel this way about anyone. Especially girls."

"Yup. That's how I felt a few years ago. But I have fully accepted that I am 50 shades of gay." Both the girls laughed at that remark. "I suspect Dave is actually the same and won't say anything."

"Yeah. I don't know him well enough to say anything on that side. Well, I don't know about you, but I want to watch a movie. What about you?" Kanaya asked.

"Yeah that sounds good. I kinda want a funny movie. How about Monty Python and the Holy Grail?"

 _Yes._ Kanaya loved that movie. "Sounds awesome." Rose pulled the movie out of her bookcase, put it on, and cuddled with Kanaya.

 **Translations**

 _Oh mon dieu_ = Oh my God.


	6. Chapter 6

**Don't hurt me! I did it all in the name of plot development. I hope this chapter makes up for it. If not, I'm sorry. But I really think this will make up for it. :)**

 **As you may have noticed, I use the typing quirks when they text each other. I will do this with all characters, simply because I think it's fun.**

 **Also: I apologize for not getting this chapter up in time. I had some stuff going on preventing me from doing this. I feel bad. Sorry.**

 **DISCLAIMER: Hussie owns Homestuck and everything in it. I own absolutely nothing. I want to, but I can't. Oh well…**

Chapter 6

"Oh shoot! I thought we were actually going to win this time!" Karkat yelled, frustrated that he and Dave were losing one of the Halo campaign missions repeatedly. He threw the controller down in frustration. "I'm so done with this freaking game! It's clearly out to get me."

Dave looked at the redhead and grinned, putting down his controller and switching the tv off. "Alright Karkles chill. Maybe we should take a break from playing games. I have something I want to ask you anyway." He shifted in his chair.

Giving Dave a curious glare, Karkat obliged. "Alright, what is it? Someone bothering you? No one's making fun of you again are they?" Dave never liked to talk about things seriously, so Karkat knew something was up when the blond actually _chose_ to open up about something.

The taller boy chuckled nervously. "No no it's nothing like that. Actually, this is somewhat of a positive topic. I just want your advice on something. It's about this person I like. I know we talked about it earlier, admittedly more light-heartedly, but it's really been bothering me for the past while."

 _Wow. He must really like this girl if he's this flustered about it._ "Of course man. You know I am always available for stuff like this. You're like my best bro. What is it exactly you need advice on?" Karkat scooted closer to Dave, making sure he was aware full attention was being given.

Dave sighed, clearly trying to collect his thoughts. "Okay. So, I have known this person for a long time, we've been friends since, like, elementary school. Only recently have I truly discovered that I like this person. Which is great, except I am absolutely positive they like someone. And I am pretty sure that someone isn't me. I guess, I just don't know what to do. Do I tell them how I feel, and risk embarrassing myself, or do I just leave my feelings unsaid?" His face was going a light shade of red.

"Uh… Well…" Karkat started off, not sure how to react. This is more serious than he thought. "I think it really depends on the person. To fully decide how you should approach this situation, I need to know who it is. Would it kill you to tell me who it is? This girl is clearly very important to you."

Dave looked at Karkat through his shades. "I mean… I really don't know that you're going to like what you hear."

 _If it was possible for him to be any more red, I haven't seen it._ Karkat knew this has been bothering him for a long time. He could see it in his friends' actions, the way he talked, the way he did things. "Nothing you could say would hurt me. I'm here for you bro. If you don't want to say it, I won't force you, but I don't think I can give you very good advice if you don't-" The smaller boy's words were cut off by the blonds lips crashing against his. His heart started beating rapidly, but it only took him a moment to react. Soon he was kissing him back. He scooted closer to Dave, wrapping his arms around his skinny frame. Karkat felt tears rolling down Dave's cheeks. He eventually broke it off, needing air.

Dave started stammering for something to say. "I… that was… what just happened? I mean, I'm so sorry."

"Why are you sorry? Dave, this is the best thing that's happened in a long time. I wouldn't do something like that just because. Dave, I have liked you for so long too. I never said anything because you were Mr. Cool Kid. I never thought you were even into guys, and even if you were, you wouldn't be into me. Don't cry. It's okay. You have nothing to worry about." Karkat reached up and wiped the tears off the other boy's cheeks.

The blond sniffled. "That's actually such a relief. So, I hate to ask the obvious question, but does this make us a thing now? If so, what do we do about it?"

"Well, that all depends on you. I'm not going to force anything on to you, but I'm pretty sure I know what you're going to say. I guess we should make this a bit more formal." Karkat turned towards Dave, staring straight into his shades. "Dave, would you like to go out with me?"

Dave took the redhead's hands and grinned. "Of course I would. That is all I want." He leaned in and gave Karkat a sweet kiss, smiling into it. "Now, do you want to tell Bro, or should I?"

Karkat chuckled. "Why don't we tell him together?" They stood up, locked fingers, then went out to the main room.

* * *

After the movie ended, Rose turned to Kanaya, who was crying from laughing so much. "I take it you liked the movie." She chuckled, sitting up and facing her.

"Yeah I loved it. I mean, I had seen it before, but it never fails to be funny. Anyway, on another topic, you still have your creative writing assignment to do. Do you need to still ask questions?" Kanaya asked, reverting back to her shy self.

Rose thought for a second, then nodded. "Mhm, I suppose I should finish it. Okay, let me just get my notebook." She stood up from the bed and walked across her room, carefully avoiding her various knitting projects. She eventually found it, and returned to her bed.

Kanaya's phone buzzed. "Sorry. Let me see who it is." She pulled it out and opened her messages.

 _Porrim: Hey Kanaya. Is everything all go+o+d with yo+u? Is Ro+se alright?_

 _Kanaya: Yeah, She's Just Fine. I'm Probably Just Going To Spend The Rest Of Today With Her Instead Of Tomorrow If That's Alright._

 _Porrim: Yes, that's fine. Stay there as lo+ng as yo+u need. I Lo+ve yo+u._

 _Kanaya: Love You Too Porrim._

After finishing the quick exchange, Kanaya locked her phone, and returned her attention to Rose. "Sorry about that. Anyway, what's your first question?"

"Uh… Okay, so you only live with your sister right? What's that like?" Rose queried and readied her pen and paper.

Kanaya thought about this for a moment, then answered. "Well, it's actually not all that bad. I mean, being sisters of course we fight, but I have just gotten so use to Porrim being like my mother, that I look up to her that way. We rely on each other for a lot of things, and we understand each other without getting in the other's way much. Does that answer the question?"

"Yes I think it does. That sound like fun. I would like to properly meet your sister sometime." Rose said as she continued to write. After finishing that paragraph, she asked another question. "Alright, what do you like to do in your spare time?"

"Oh that's easy. I love to practice my violin, sew, and draw. Well, the drawing is mostly for the sewing, but it works. I love sewing. It takes me to a peaceful and relaxing place I don't find much anymore." Kanaya's eyes lit up when she said that.

Rose finished writing then looked up at Kanaya. "Knitting does the same for me. It allows me to not think about things going on in my life. I can just let go of everything. I'm glad I'm not the only one with something like that." The blond put her notebook aside. "I should be able to write a decent paper from that. Thank you."

"So… um… about earlier. What happens now?" Kanaya asked.

The shorter girl thought about the question for a second before answering. "Unless you want to do anything, we do nothing. We live our life as friends for now, and if you want to do more than that, tell me. I don't want you to feel pressured into anything like this, especially since you kinda just moved here."

"I like that idea. Thank you for being so understanding. Making friends has been hard for me since we move so much, so just having a friend for now would be nice." Kanaya smiled.

The blond smiled back. "I get it. Making friends has been hard for me ever since I got out of intensive therapy for that… stuff… so I understand where you're coming from. And don't forget, you have Dave and Karkat and John. All my friends are your friends."

Kanaya sighed in relief. "Cool. So, now what do we do? We have a lot of time to kill."

"Uh… I have a PS3 downstairs. Do you want to play games on that?"

 _Would I?!_ "Of course! That sounds awesome!" The girls started to walk downstairs. "Okay, so I want to bet money on something." Kanaya said.

Rose looked up at her with confusion. "Bet money? On what?"

"So, you know how you were saying Dave is most likely gay but won't admit it? I want to challenge you on that. I think he's already dating someone. If not, he has a serious crush on someone. I don't know who yet, but I just get the feeling he really digs someone."

Intrigued by this statement, Rose smirked. "Alright. Then the bet is you think he's dating or almost dating someone. I don't think he is to be perfectly honest. I guess I figured he wouldn't say anything if I asked, but he would show it if he was. I bet $20 he isn't dating anyone. Deal?"

The taller girl grinned. "It's a deal. I am so going to win. We will decide who is right on Monday." They shook on it, then started playing PS3 games for the afternoon.

* * *

After spending the entire rest of the day playing games, Kanaya turned to Rose, slightly upset. "I suppose I should get going. You cool with that?"

"Yeah I suppose. Thank you so much for coming over. It really meant a lot to me. We definitely have to hang out again sometime soon." Both the girls stood up and the two girls hugged. As they did, Rose's mom came in.

Kanaya looked at her. "Oh, hello Ms. Lal… Roxy. I was actually just about to leave. It was very nice meeting you." She walked over and shook her hand.

"Thank you so much for coming over. You are welcome here any time. It was nice meeting you too. You seem like such a lovely girl." Roxy hugged Kanaya, and Kanaya tried to hold in a cough. The woman smelled strongly of alcohol and cleaning products.

Rose walked to the door and opened it. "Thanks again. See you on Monday. Don't forget about our promise. And our bet." She grinned at that last part.

The other girl giggled. "Don't worry. I won't. I will not forget either. I want my $20 after all. Goodbye." She waved as Rose closed the door, and walked to her house. When she arrived, she tested the door, seeing if she could just walk in. It was, as she suspected, unlocked. Kanaya walked in and called out. "Hey. I'm home! Porrim?" _She must be out getting something. Weird. I figured she would have said something. Oh well, I'll just text her._ She opened up her phone, and went into the messages.

 _Kanaya: Hey Porrim. I'm Home. You Left The Door Unlocked Again. It's Alright Though. Everything Seems To Still Be Here. Do You Want Me To Make Dinner?_

After a few minutes, Kanaya's phone buzzed.

 _Porrim: No+, it's alright. I'm gro+cery sho+pping, so+ I will just pick stuff up. Want anything in particular?_

 _Kanaya: Uh… Some Ben And Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie Ice Cream?_

 _Porrim: So+unds great. See yo+u later._

Before putting her phone down, she quickly texted Dave.

 _Kanaya: Hey. Did You Make Karkat Watch Black Butler? Did He Like It?_

She waited a few minutes, but didn't get a response. _They must be playing a game or something. Oh well._ Kanaya went up to her room, turned on some music, and continued sewing her latest project until she heard the front door open. She then turned off the music and headed downstairs to see Porrim carrying several grocery bags. Kanaya walked up to her older sister, helping her carry some of the bags to the kitchen. "Hey Porrim. Did you have a good time while I was gone?"

"I never fully have a good time without my little sis, but I had an okay time. I watched some tv, played some games, checked my email a few times…" Porrim trailed off, making Kanaya think something exciting happened.

The younger girl put away some groceries, then eventually turned to her sister. "Alright. What's up? I can tell something happened while I was out."

Porrim smiled, unable to contain herself. "I may have gotten an email from the elementary school. I got the teaching job! I start on Monday."

Unable to hide her excitement, though why would she want to, Kanaya jumped and hugged her sister. "Oh Porrim that's great. I'm so proud of you!" _That's great. Maybe we will finally settle down somewhere._

"Thank you. It's good to have such encouragement. And because of this, I decided we feast tonight! I was planning on making chicken and rice and carrots and potatoes. Then for dessert…" Porrim turns around and pulls Kanaya's favorite ice cream out of a bag. "I figured we could eat ice cream. Sound good?"

Kanaya was almost speechless. "Sound good? That sounds fantastic! I'm just thrilled you got a job. Would you like help with dinner?"

Porrim smiled and embraced her younger sister. "Yes. That would be great. Thank you." They started to prepare their food. "So, how was your night with Rose? Why did you have to rush over exactly?"

"Oh. Yeah it was good." _Shoot. I forgot I never told her about why I had to run over._ Kanaya sighed, then continued with her story. "I had to rush over because her mom had called. She sounded very worried on the phone, and I went over to discover she had gotten herself totally wasted. She had been beaten up by the girls at school who were mean to me because they thought she was the reason I was back-talking them. That's why she went home early from school that day. So I-" Kanaya was cut off by her own sobs. She was enveloped by the arms of her older sister.

Filled with concern, Porrim assumed her motherly role for Kanaya. "Aw honey that's terrible. Why did she end up so drunk though? I mean, I don't want to sound insensitive, but that seem such an odd reason to get that upset."

The younger girl collected herself before continuing. "She felt responsible for everything. She thought that it was her fault that they came after me, which of course is not true. Anyway, I talked to her for a bit and then she…" Kanaya stopped. _And then she kissed me. And I liked it. No. I loved it. More than I probably should have._

"She what, Kanaya?" Porrim looked at her younger sister with concern.

Kanaya cleared her throat. "And then she just fell asleep. I ended up sleeping most of the night too. I woke up the next morning and waited for her to do so as well. When she did, she freaked. She told me this long story about how she came to acting like this, how she gets so upset because she's turning into her mother and stuff. I made a deal with her. I told her I would stop if she did-"

Semi-alarmed, Porrim cut her off. "You would stop? Stop what? I didn't think you drank. I was hoping it wouldn't extend from me to you. Oh no I can't-"

"No no no. I don't drink. Don't worry." Kanaya calmed her older sister down. "I guess I never really told you, though I'm surprised you never found out." She shrugged off her jacket once more, throwing it into the next room, revealing her arm. Porrim gasped. "Yeah. Pretty bad huh? This started when you had very bad drinking episodes. You would yell at me, calling me useless and disappointing and stuff like that. You never physically hurt me, but I was weak at heart. I got so upset by that stuff, and you never remembered it the next day. It got to the point where I was so broken that I needed to relieve the pain somehow. This is how I got rid of the pain, even if only for a little while. I suppose it's a habit I never really got out of." She started to cry again. "I'm sorry. I should have told you, but at the time, I never thought you would believe me."

Porrim embraced her sister again, comforting her. "Shhh. It's alright. I am the one who should apologize. I never thought I hurt you so badly. Shhh. Don't cry. It's okay."

The two stood embracing for a few minutes while Kanaya sobbed. Eventually, she sniffed and pulled away. "Thanks. Anyway, I made that deal with her. Afterwards we talked about some stuff, the friends I seemed to have made, my classes, any crushes either of us had. Then we… uh, we watched a movie. Later, I asked her questions for my creative writing assignment, then we played video games, and I left."

After Kanaya had finished her story, Porrim raised her eyebrow. "Okay… sounds like you two had fun. Seems like the two of you are getting really close really fast. Good for you." She looked at the oven and put the chicken in. "Well, dinner will be in about an hour and a half or so. Feel free to do whatever you would like until then.

"Kay. Sounds good." Kanaya walked quickly up to her room. _She seemed kinda suspicious about my story. Was it too obvious that I left out the kissing stuff? Not that it should matter right?_ She settled on to her bed with her laptop until dinner.

 **Well, I hope you forgive me for stuff. I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I couldn't stop grinning. Anyway, Until next time.**

 **~Jane**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 **Welllllll…. I hope you enjoyed that chapter. As you have figured out, yes, this is a Rosemary fic, however, I can't help but insert some of my favorite ships into the story. Sorry. It's nature for me. All the homo. Enjoy the homo.**

 **Anyway, I really like how this story is progressing and I hope you are too. I am enjoying writing it.**

 **DISCLAIMER: Ugh… Do I have to? Fine. I don't own Homestuck yada yada yada Andrew Hussie yeah yeah we know. And now chapter 7**

"So, I take it you had a fun time?" Roxy asked her daughter, sitting down on the couch.

Rose sat next to her mom, careful not to breathe in the alcohol fumes too much. "Uh, yeah it was fine I guess. Once I got up this morning and stuff. I've been taking advil all day to dim down my killer headache."

The woman looked at Rose. "Yes. About that. It was very irresponsible of you to do such a thing. I know I am not the best person to talk about things like this, but I wanted you to not deal with your problems like I always have. I know you haven't had the easiest life, and I can't apologize enough for that. But you need to know I care for you and love you. Both you and Dave are very special to me, and I want you to have a happy life." She started to tear up, and her daughter leaned over and hugged her tight.

"It's okay. I know you just want the best for me. And I'm sorry. I just didn't know how to handle being told I was responsible for someone else getting bullied. The beat-down I can deal with, but the words hurt. Anyway, I made a promise with Kanaya so it wouldn't happen again. I promised not to drink anymore if she promised not to harm herself anymore."

Roxy opened her mouth to respond, then immediately closed it again. She didn't exactly know how to respond to something like that.

Judging the look on her mother's face, Rose could tell it was something she had never really dealt with before. "Look mom, I have been around people like Kanaya before, I know what triggers them, and I know what helps them. Kanaya is a very trustworthy person, and when she promises something that big, I have to offer a promise of equal value. I know the whole thing probably comes as a shock to you, but don't worry. I will keep my end of the promise… hopefully always." Rose smiled as she started to tear up.

"Oh honey, I know you will." Roxy embraced her daughter as she cried. "You are a very strong girl, and you can help those like Kanaya who aren't always as strong. Both of you will definitely help each other through your rough times. I just pray she sticks with you and does a better job of helping you than I ever did." The two Lalondes sat there for a few more minutes in silence before Rose spoke up.

"Thanks mom. Now, can I please have some advil? I have a killer headache."

Roxy chuckled. "Of course sweetie. Let me know if you need anything from me this evening." She stood up, leaving her daughter on the couch to get some medicine and water.

* * *

"Cool." Dirk said as he unpacked the groceries.

Dave was taken aback slightly. "Cool? Really, like that's it? I mean, this is a pretty big deal for me. I have been telling you my entire life I was into chicks."

Dirk raised an eyebrow. "Yes, however I knew it wouldn't last," he stated matter-of-factually. "It's in the Strider DNA to play _at least_ both sides of the field. I knew things would change eventually. But regardless, I'm happy for you little man."

"Well, that wasn't as freakin' weird as I thought it was going to be." Karkat turned to Dave. "The tricky part will be telling my older brother. He's a bit less… shall we say, _open_ to stuff like that." Karkat used his fingers to make air quotes when he said open.

Dave gave Karkat a half-smirk. "It's alright Karks. One step at a time. Now, the real question is how do we go about this in terms of school? Cause we can either not make a big deal out of it, but make it known, or we keep it on the DL, so to speak."

Karkat considered this for a moment. "Well, I think not making a big deal out of it will be easier, and will ultimately cause less stress on me, as long as you are willing to smack someone on their think-pan if they decide to be rude or obnoxious about it."

"I think I can deal with that." Dave smiled, giving Karkat a peck on the cheek. A puppet was thrown at them from the kitchen.

"Hey lovebirds. Get a cage." Dirk said, looking Dave square in the shades.

Dave retorted, "Oh yeah, like you and English are _so much_ _more modest_ in front of people." Dirk rolled his eyes at that, but did not respond.

* * *

Monday rolled around, and the two girls met in the morning as usual. Rose walked down to Kanaya's house as Kanaya shouted goodbye to Porrim, and they walked the route to school. "So," Rose started. "How was the short remainder of your weekend?"

"It was great." Kanaya beamed. "Porrim got a job, so we celebrated about that. This hopefully means that we can finally settle down here until the foreseeable future."

Rose grinned. "That's fantastic Kanaya! I am so happy for you guys. Well, maybe this means long term friendships for the both of us. You won't have to move, which means I have someone to rely on."

The girls continued their trek to school, and into the cafeteria. As they neared their usual before school hang out spot, Rose stopped and yelled "Shoot!"

Kanaya stopped and looked at Rose. "What's wrong?"

Rose sighed. "Nothing… well yes something." She pulled 20 dollars out of her wallet and held it out to the taller girl.

"What's this for… wait." She looked straight ahead and saw a blond and a redhead sitting side by side, the redhead giving a peck on the cheek to the blond. Kanaya squealed and walked up to them. Rose followed closely behind, slightly put out. "I knew it! I totally called it. Well, not totally, but somewhat."

Dave looked up at Kanaya. "I would say I don't know what you're talking about, but that would be a flat out lie. Yeah okay, so this is a thing. Nothing to make a big deal of though."

"Well it wouldn't be, except you cost me 20 bucks." Rose sighed and handed Kanaya the money. Kanaya smiled and pocketed her newly acquired cash.

"You mean to say you bet on my _love life?_... Actually I'm not surprised, considering Rose was involved. She doesn't stop talking about how sh- mfm." His sentence was cut off as Rose shoved her hand over Dave's mouth.

"Now now Dave, that's more than enough of your shenanigans." Rose chided. Kanaya wondered what he was going to say. She would have to ask him sometime… maybe. Some things are better kept as secrets though. The gang continued in conversation until the first bell rang.

* * *

A few uneventful weeks went by. Classes were boring, teachers were nothing out of the ordinary, life didn't get in the way much. Things seemed to settle down for Kanaya. Her sister was thriving in her new job, and couldn't stop gushing about her students. She would spend many dinners talking about 'Melanie doing this' or 'Troy doing that'. Kanaya was happy for her sister, but she was also happy that she could start to live a normal life and get to know people instead of packing up and moving somewhere new.

Halloween was just around the corner, and that meant the Homecoming dance. "Why is Homecoming so late in the school year? Most of them are around the end of September or beginning of October if I'm correct." Kanaya asked Rose one day on their way home from school.

Rose chuckled. "The school does it to save money. This way, they don't have to finance two dances, a Homecoming and a Halloween. They put a little more money into a sort of combined dance that kills two birds with one stone. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah… well, sort of. I think they should have two, but that's my opinion. Mostly because that means I can dress up more than once in a month. Are you going to the dance?"

The blond girl shrugged. "I wasn't planning on it. I'm not much of a social event type of person. I was planning on going my senior year for pure obligation and posterity. Why do you ask?"

The raven smiled. "Oh no reason. I don't have anyone to go with, so I was hoping a certain someone would go with me. Someone who's blond, has cool colored eyes, and has an awesome sense of style."

"I'm sure as _flattered_ as Dave will be, he's probably going with Karkat." Rose said sarcastically. Kanaya playfully slapped Rose's arm and she laughed. "I know, I know. Well, Kanaya Maryam, it would be my pleasure to accompany such a fair maiden to the dance. I suppose we have to go dress shopping then."

Kanaya grinned. "Yes, I suppose we do. Maybe this weekend. The dance is next week after all."

"Okay. Sounds good. I'll be at your house at about 11 Saturday morning." Rose promised, then stopped in front of Kanaya's door. "Well, this is your stop. I will see you tomorrow morning for shopping then?"

The other girl nodded. "Sounds good. I think it will be fun." The two smiled and hugged each other just as Porrim opened the door.

"Aw. Cute! You two look like you've known each other forever. It's adorable." She exclaimed. Kanaya quickly ended the hug and blushed.

"Porrim!" Kanaya whined. "Really? Well, I suppose that's my cue to say goodbye. See you tomorrow." She smiled.

Rose blushed and smiled. "Yeah. See you." She waved goodbye then continued to her own house.

Kanaya walked in and closed the door. "Rim, really? It was just a hug, it's nothing to get excited about. Rose and I just have a mutual understanding. I feel like we can tell each other anything." Kanaya quickly stopped as she saw the adoring and somewhat questioning look in her guardian's eyes. "We are friends. You should be happy that I have one."

Porrim smiled. "I am happy for you Kan. It's great to see you so happy. I think the last time I saw you this happy was… well, probably when you started dating that boy from a while ago."

"This isn't like that. We're _just friends_." The younger one stated, almost as if trying to convince herself of that statement. "Anyway, we're going dress shopping tomorrow if that's okay. I'm going with her to the dance on Halloween _as friends_."

"Okay… sounds good. I don't have to go out tomorrow, so the car is yours." Porrim said. The two had recently invested in a car, since they now had a more steady income.

Kanaya nodded. "Thanks. Well, I'll be in my room doing homework. Call me when it's dinner time." The girl walked up to her room, shut the door, and sighed with relief and slight sadness at her situation. _Just friends huh? That's all I want right? That's all we ever will be, won't we?_

 **~Jane**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry I uploaded a week late! But, that just means you get chapters two weeks in a row. I hope you are enjoying this story. Now for this chapter, I invested a lot of feeling into it. I hope you find it… Exciting. Also, this chapter is extremely long, so it may mean I have a shorter chapter next. I'm not sure yet.**

 **DISCLAIMER: Homestuck: Hussie's, not mine.**

Chapter 8

The end of the week couldn't arrive fast enough. Rose was super excited to get to Saturday so she could spend the entire day with Kanaya going dress shopping. The big debate for Rose was what type of dress to get, more specifically, what color. She could either find a dress that matched her black lipstick, or she could ditch the lipstick and rather find a dress in a color she really wanted. _Maybe it's best to wait for Kanaya's opinion. That might help me decide._

"Rose! Come down for dinner!" Roxy shouted from the kitchen.

"Coming!" Rose responded. Rose noticed her mom had become more of a guardian-like figure within the past month. She wasn't sure what triggered it, or how long it will last, but she liked it. She put down her writing book and walked downstairs, sitting down at the table to some spaghetti and meatballs.

Roxy immediately started to dig in. "So, how was school today?"

Rose started to eat. _Man this is good._ "Oh. Same old same old I guess. I'm going dress shopping with Kanaya on Saturday though." She smiled a little at that. She didn't know why, but Kanaya always brought her such great joy.

"Oh? That's great! I'll put some money on your card so you can get whatever dress you want, and then you two can get something to eat." Roxy said. She seemed pretty happy that Rose was going somewhere with a friend.

"Thanks. That sounds great." The two women continued to eat for a while, having little conversation, but enjoying each other's company nonetheless. Around a half hour later, Rose stood up and collected their plates. "Thanks for dinner. I think I'm going to go upstairs for a bit and do some more writing." Roxy nodded, then stood up and headed to the living room, martini in hand.

As Rose got to her room, her phone buzzed. She sat on her bed and checked her messages.

 _Dave: So, howzit goin?_

Rose smirked and rolled her eyes.

 _Rose: Fine. Aren't you too busy macking on your *boyfriend* to even text me._

 _Dave: Gasp. I should feel offended at that. You know that's not all we do. For your information, we have only kissed once… or twice, but that's beside the point! We still hang out like normal bros tho. Anyway, that's not why I texted you. Well, it's sorta related I guess. I was wondering what color flower I should put in mine and Karkat's jacket for the dance next weekend. I think it would be nice if something of ours was matching, and you're pretty good with colors, so…_

 _Rose: Wow. Coming to me for fashion advice? Alright. Ummm… I would say red, since it will bring out Karkat's hair color._

 _Dave: Thanks sis. That sounds perfect._

 _Rose: No problem bro._

Rose chuckled then put her phone down, picking up her writing book again. She was glad Dave was happy. It was such a drastic change from a year or two ago. _If Karkat ever hurts Dave, I swear he will never see the light of day again. I can't see him unhappy anymore._ Rose decided to not dwell on those thoughts and focus on her writing for much of the evening.

* * *

Saturday eventually rolled around and Kanaya couldn't be more excited. She had talked with Porrim for the whole week about what dress to get, telling her over and over she is not wearing something very showy like Porrim would. Kanaya could hardly sit still as she waited for 11 am to arrive.

"Kan, calm down. Your breakfast is going to fly everywhere if you keep bouncing like a trampoline." Porrim noted, chuckling at her younger sibling.

Kanaya stopped bouncing and started to eat her pancakes. "I know, I'm just so happy. This is the first dance I have ever gone to and I get to go with an _actual friend_. This is practically a first you know." She said matter-of-factually. Porrim just smiled.

After talking at the table for a while, the doorbell rang, and Kanaya sprang up. "I'll get it!" She ran to the door and swung it open, grinning ear to ear. "Hey Rose! Ready to go?"

"Yep. Got my card and I'm ready to shop. Also, lunch is on me, just so you know." Rose stated, not allowing for Kanaya to object.

The raven nodded and grabbed the car keys and her bag. "Alright Porrim. I'll text you when we get to the mall, and when we leave, kay?"

"Sure thing. Oh! And a picture of your dress. I want to see it as soon as you buy it. Yours too Rose." Porrim pointed at the blond and smiled. "You two have fun."

The two girls smiled, said goodbye to Porrim, and headed out. On the way to the mall, the two discussed what type of dress they each wanted, and made sure they agreed on colors so they wouldn't look bad together.

"Well, I think we have both agreed black lipstick is a must, so we will find dresses to match that. Should we stick with the purple and green, or will that look to Mardi-Gras?" Kanaya asked Rose.

The other girl pondered this for a second. "I think purple and green will work fine, since those are technically in the theme of Halloween." They pulled up to the mall, got out, and walked into a really nice dress store. The two of them tried on what seemed like thousands of dresses before deciding on their dresses. Rose ended up with a medium length deep purple dress with a little beading and no sleeves, and Kanaya ended up with a full length emerald green dress with no beading and no sleeves. They both payed for their dresses and walked to the food court.

"So, where do you want to go for lunch? I like all of these places so I don't mind where." Kanaya said, giving a little shrug.

Rose thought for a moment, surveying the food court. "How about Panda Express? I'm kinda in the mood for Chinese."

The taller one smiled. "Sounds good." The two linked arms and walked to the restaurant together, both ordering what they wanted, then finding a place to sit. "What do you want to do after this?"

As she was caught in mid bite when the question was asked, Rose held up a finger and finished her mouthful before speaking. "Well, we could just walk around some more I suppose. Since I have some extra money, maybe I'll buy something for the guys."

"Yeah, key chains, t-shirts, a down payment on their honeymoon…" Kanaya trailed off and smirked, Rose hitting her on the arm, laughing.

"Well, I would say that's preposterous, but seeing as they are both the happiest I have seen them in years, that may be an accurate gift. No, I'll probably find a t-shirt or something." Rose stated.

The girls continued to talk for a while longer until they had finished their food. Then they got up and started to walk around the mall a while longer, stopping in different stores to look at the various wares. Kanaya saw a couple walk past them holding hands, and she felt her chest tighten. _Why am I feeling this way? It wouldn't be like this with anyone else either, only while I'm with Rose. This is getting ridiculous. She's my friend and nothing more. That's all she wanted, so that's all I should want. Even if that means never getting to truly love the only person I have ever felt this way about. Hehe, even if it means being like Porrim's friend Kankri and never being romantically involved with anyone ever. Maybe that would be easier, swearing myself to celibacy. Not that I would want that in the slightest if it came to Rose. Regardless, I have got to keep these feelings hidden. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I just-_ Kanaya stopped her thoughts mid-sentence, a curious Rose looking at her. "I- I'm sorry. I guess I just spaced out. What did you say?"

Rose narrowed her eyes at the other one, unsure of what just happened. "I asked you if you wanted to go into that store over there," she asked, pointing to a store in the corner of the mall that seemed to sell many Asian goods as well as anime merchandise.

"Uh, sure. Then I think I'm done shopping after that. I've almost run myself out of money and the noise is getting too much for me." Kanaya responded.

The blond nodded, and the two walked into the store, looked around a bit, purchased two cold ramune sodas, and walked to the car to drive home with their dresses and all their other purchases.

* * *

The next week seemed to drag on forever for Rose. Her classes were boring as usual, the teachers were rude as usual, and the school was as peppy as they usually were for the week before both Halloween and the dance. The only thing that wasn't usual was obviously her. She had never cared at all about the homecoming dances, but suddenly this year that's all she could think about. _Is it because of Kanaya? I mean, I was pretty forward with how I felt, but I thought maybe I had scared her off, so the easiest thing to do was to just play it off like it's better we're friends. Do I want it that way? Absolutely not! However, I know she just moved here, and I don't want her being made fun of or something like I have been in the past. No, I am excited to go to the dance because we are just friends, and we get to hang out as just friends together. It will be nice._ Rose took a deep breath and changed her mind to other topics, like her homework. She needed to finish this creative writing assignment. She usually has no problem writing them, but her mind has been so distracted that she can't find any inspiration to write. She just decided to type stuff until her mom got home and made dinner. Even if she passed with a 70, it was better than failing the assignment.

Just as she had finished writing, Roxy walked in and screamed "Rose! I brought home dinner and cat food!" Rose rolled her eyes, wondering why she needed to know they had more cat food, but nonetheless, she walked downstairs to some Chinese food. "So, how was your day today Rosie?" Her mother always called her Rosie when she either wanted something, or she had bad news.

"Fine. Spit it out. What do you want?" Rose asked bitterly. She hated when her mother 'needed' things. It usually ended up with her being drunk, beat up, or with a new boyfriend. The third option would inevitably lead to the two others.

Roxy looked at her daughter in shock. "Why sweetie. Why would you ever think I want something?" Rose raised her eyebrow, not buying the act. Her mother sighed. "Okay so here's the deal. I have a date tonight. I know you have your dance thing, but if you could just make sure you feed the cats before you go, then that's all I want. Is that fine?"

The daughter looked at her mom, narrowing her eyes. _Is that really all she wants?_ "Hm. Okay. That's fine. I hope this new date of yours doesn't get you in trouble, because you know how fed up I am with-" Rose stopped, realizing she was raising her voice. Her mom looked at her slightly frightened. She took a deep breath. "I mean… just, be careful okay? If anything feels fishy, call me and I will come and pick you up from wherever. I just don't want you getting into any more trouble."

Roxy smiled. "Of course dear. Thank you. You know I only want the best for you, even if it doesn't always look like it. This time, I am making one hundred percent sure this guy is nice and caring and okay with different things before I even introduce him to you. I can't stand to see you get hurt anymore because of me." The two smiled at each other thoughtfully, then continued eating their food.

A few minutes passed, and Rose looked at the clock. "I'm going to head up in a few minutes to get ready if that's okay with you."

Her mom nodded. "Oh but first." She stood up, walked to the couch, pulled out a box from behind it, and sat back down, handing the package to her daughter. "I wanted you to have something really nice to go with you dress."

Rose opened the package. In it was a necklace laced with fake amethysts and diamonds, though they looked real. She gasped. "Mom… This… This is beautiful. You didn't have to do this." She teared up just a bit. "Thank you. I love it." She got up and gave her mom a huge hug, both women making it worth the while, since they didn't do this often.

Roxy broke away. "Alright. Now go get ready. I want to see you all dolled up.

The younger one nodded, took the box, and walked upstairs. She closed her door and set the box on her bed, going to her closet to pull out the purple dress. She slipped it on, put on her heels. _I've gotta be at least_ close _to Kanaya's height._ Then she did all her makeup, making sure it complimented the dress without being overbearing. She grabbed her purse and the necklace and walked downstairs. "Okay mom I'm coming down!" She shouted, even though she knew her mom would be at the bottom of the stairs waiting with a camera. As she walked down, she could hear her mother gasp. Rose smiled.

"Rose… You look stunning." Her mother said. "Kanaya is a very lucky girl to have you in her life."

Rose stopped when her mother said that, her chest tightening, her cheeks flaring. "Mom, we are just friends, alright? I'm going to the dance with her because we thought it would be a good idea to actually go and socialize. It's not like it's a date or anything."

Her mother smiled. "Well, I actually didn't say anything about it being a date. Only you did. Come here." She motioned to the couch and the two sat down. "You really care for Kanaya don't you? I have never seen you get this way when talking about someone. I know you say you are just friends, but I have been in enough relationships to know that you don't mean it. The way you look when her name is simply brought up in conversation. It's like the whole galaxy lights up in your eyes. I'm happy for you. Just be careful. I was the exact same a few years ago, you know that. And I think Kanaya is a lovely girl. I just want you to be happy. And safe. Alright?"

The daughter looked into her mother's eyes and simply nodded, going in for a second hug. "Well, I better get going. You should too. You have an actual date coming up."

"Yes I suppose I should." They both got up from the couch. "Stay safe. Have fun. Call me if you need anything and just text me if you get home before me." Roxy said. "My date is driving me so you can have the car, but if you need anything I will take a taxi or get him to drive me."

"Okay mom. I'm sure I'll be fine. But thanks. And call me if you need anything too." Rose said, walking towards the garage with her purse and keys. "Alright. Love you." She walked out the door, waving to her mom.

* * *

It was Saturday night, and Kanaya couldn't be more excited. She was checking the clock over and over again to see what time she should start getting ready. _So if the dance starts at 7, then I should be ready by about 6:45. It will take me about 5 minutes to do my hair, 15 minutes to put on makeup, and 5 minutes to put on my dress. That's 25 minutes in total, so I should probably get ready at about 6:20. Oh but its only 6:00. I can't wait another 20 minutes! Maybe I'll just go get ready now. Yeah! Because 'Rim will want to take pictures and stuff._ She got up off the couch, switched off the TV, and went upstairs to her room to change. She put on her gorgeous green dress and some black flats she stole from her sister's closet. She hadn't worn them in ages, so she wouldn't miss them too much. She then put on her makeup on, making sure not to look too overdramatic. She was attending a dance after all, not a drag show. She put her sister's hair clip, adorned with a few fake diamonds in the shape of a flower, in her hair, then looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled as she admired her appearance. Satisfied with how she looked, she proceeded to walk downstairs. Not even a second as she came into view of the downstairs floor did hear her sister gasp. When she could see her, her hand was over her mouth and her eyes were a bit teary.

"Oh Kanaya. You look positively beautiful. That dress looks stunning on you and you look so grown up." Porrim started to cry. "I wish mom and dad could see you like this."

Kanaya walked over and embraced her sister. "'Rim, I'm sure they can, we just won't know their response. However, I'm sure they would love it. Now stop crying, you're going to make me cry and I can't ruin my makeup." The two then chuckled, pulling away from each other. "Well, I still have a couple minutes before Rose will show up."

The older sister nodded. "Yeah. Why don't we talk for a bit. I've been meaning to anyway." They sat on the couch. "So, I know you just moved here, but you know me, always wanting you to be happy. Have you made any friends? Other than Rose I mean."

The younger one rolled her eyes. "'Rim! Oh my gosh. Yes, I have made friends. In fact I'll tell you about them. Dave, who is in my grade, use to be step siblings with Rose, but stuff happened and now Dave just lives with his brother, but they still consider each other siblings. Karkat, who has been friends with Dave since they were little, is quite the short and angry sophomore. He has red hair that matches his fiery personality, and he and Dave are… let's just say, _very close_ to each other. Then there's John. He's pretty nerdy and stuff but he seems cool. He really likes ghostbusters and Nick Cage."

"That's it? Well I suppose it's better to have a few close friends you can count on. That's good. What about other than friends? Any cute boys at the school?" Porrim was always the invasive one when it came to relationships. She seemed to almost always be in one, but they never lasted long.

"Ugh no. That's gross. All the guys at school are very douchy. Well, except for the three I just mentioned, but John seems to in love with movies to do dating and Dave and Karkat both have special someones." _Yeah, each other._ Kanaya decided not to add that little bit.

Porrim half-smiled and looked at her sister, sighing. "Alright. I can't have everything I suppose. I'm sure you'll find a nice boy someday. But for now, you've got Rose as a close friend."

 _Close friend, probably best friend, sort-of-secret love of my life…_ Kanaya would have continued her thoughts if the doorbell hadn't gone off. Before she could react, her sister was already at the door. She opened it, getting a nice view of a lovely Rose adorned in purple.

"Oh Rose you look fabulous! That dress does really suit you. I think you both look amazing though. I hope you two have fun tonight. Don't get too crazy." Porrim said, though Rose didn't seem to react much to any of it except a simple thank you.

"'Rim, stop. You can be so embarrassing sometimes." Kanaya said, then stopped, noticing Rose was staring at her. "Uh, is everything alright Rose?"

Rose seemed to snap out of a daze. "What? Yeah I'm fine. Ready to go?" The girls linked arms, heading out the door.

The taller girl tuned around, waving to her sister. "Bye Porrim!" Porrim waved goodbye back and closed the door. Kanaya got into the passenger seat of the car, buckling her seatbelt. "I'm so excited for tonight. I think it's going to be a lot of fun."

The blond nodded, starting up the car. The drive was only about two minutes long, since they lived across the street, but it was a nice drive nonetheless. Rose parked the car and Kanaya watched her get out and run around to open her door. She was very flattered by this gesture. "Thank you, you really don't have to do that."

"I know, but I like doing simple nice things for people I am close to." Rose responded.

Kanaya nodded and smiled. They both walked in together, handed the parent at the front their tickets, and walked into the cafeteria. There were flashing lights everywhere, and there was loud music playing. A row of tables was set up, adorned with all types of unhealthy junk food, expected of a high school dance. Some people were dancing, but a lot of people were just talking to each other. Kanaya surveyed the room for anyone she knew, not taking long to find a bright blond and vibrant red head heading towards her and Rose, hand in hand.

"Wassup ladies? You two are looking very beautiful tonight." Dave remarked, gesturing to the girl's nice dresses.

Rose smiled. "Why thank you Dave. Not that you look too bad yourselves. I think those flowers worked out really well for the two of you."

She wasn't wrong. Both Dave and Karkat had on similar suits, both holding matching red flowers in their chest pocket. Dave looked very pleased with himself, while Karkat had his usual scowl on his face, but it seemed slightly softer looking. He seemed happy. It made Kanaya smile, seeing him that way. Even though she hadn't known the short boy for long, she felt as if she was extremely close with him. Like she could do anything for him without giving it thought. Almost like one would do for a lover, but this felt different. Like a strong friendship bond you only typically make with someone you have known your whole life.

The four teens had turned to discussing different topics, like what was going on in each other's lives and such, when Kanaya happened to see some big blonde and strawberry blonde hair headed towards her. She sneered, bumping Rose on the arm.

"Well, if it isn't the wonder twins. Oh Rosey darling. I see those bruises healed up nicely." Vriska remarked, crossing her arms.

Rose shoved passed Kanaya, getting up in Vriska's face. "What do you think you're doing? We just came here to have fun, not start something. But, if you want to pick a fight." She turned around. "Kanaya, hold my purse."

Just before Kanaya could stop her, another girl ran up to the group. "Hey hey. Let's be nice to each other, okay? This is just a fun dance event right?" The girl had long black wavy hair, round glasses, and a very pretty black and green dress on. She turned to Vriska and Feferi, whispering something to them, then shooing them away. She then turned back towards Rose, Kanaya, Dave, and Karkat. "Sorry about that. I promise Feferi is very nice once you get to know her. She just wants to impress Vriska because their families are huge business partners. Feferi is actually really sweet though. Oh! I'm sorry. Introductions are in order. I'm Jade. Hey, aren't you three in my grade?" She asked, pointing at Dave, Karkat, and Kanaya. "I think I have seen you in some of my classes."

Not one to turn down the opportunity to make a friend, Kanaya smiled. "Yeah, I think so. Hi. I'm Kanaya, and these are my friends Dave, Karkat, and Rose. So, not to sound rude, but you seem really nice. Why are you friends with girls like Feferi and Vriska?"

"That's actually a good question. See, my grandfather was the gardener at Feferi's mansion when I was little, so the two of us would always play together, and we became really good friends. We hung out less and less the older we got, though we still hang out a little. When she started high school and I was in 8th grade, she became friends with Vriska. She was cool at first, but then started being very controlling of Feferi, saying that being an heiress to such a large company means you have to act powerful. So, from then on, Feferi started to act like a total brat. I'm the only one who still truly knows what she is like when not around Vriska." Jade explained. She seemed to look slightly sad while explaining that story.

Kanaya took Jade's hand. "You're a great friend for sticking by Feferi even when it didn't seem like you should. Do you wanna hang out with us?"

Jade nodded. The five of them proceeded to talk and dance for the next hour.

Suddenly, the music died down, and announcements started for the homecoming court. As Rose told Kanaya, Homecoming court worked differently at Alternia High. Instead of Dukes and Duchesses for the lower grades and a King and Queen for the seniors, every grade had a King and a Queen.

"Hey. I gotta go outside for a minute and take this." Rose said to Kanaya.

"I'll come with you." Kanaya responded.

The girls walked outside and Rose held the phone up to her ear, then listens for a minute. Suddenly, all the blood drains from her face. "O-okay. Give me a few minutes." Then she hung up the phone, pale as a ghost.

"Rose… Rose are you okay? What's wrong? What happened?" Kanaya asked, becoming increasingly concerned.

Rose looked at the taller girl. "It's my mom. She's in the hospital. She was in a car accident."

* * *

 **Don't kill me! See you in a week.**

 **~Jane**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello my lovelies. I hope you did not perish without my existence for the past week. Don't fret, for here is another chapter.**

 **DISCLAIMER: Alright well I do this out of courtesy but we all know Homestuck is made by Andrew Hussie and not me.**

Chapter 9

Kanaya's face paled when she heard the words leave Rose's mouth. _Roxy… In a car accident. Oh my gosh. What do I do?_ Before she could think, her hand was on her phone dialing Porrim's number. Not even two rings had passed and her older sister picked up. Kanaya didn't give her time to say hello. "Porrim. Hey. It's me. No time to explain, but I need you to bring the car around and take me and Rose to the hospital."

"Okay." Her sister said. She heard car keys rattling in the background. "Wait Rose took you two why can't she drive? Is she hurt?"

Kanaya sighed. "No she's physically fine, but not in a state to drive. I will explain on the way. Hurry! Love you." She hung up the phone and turned back to Rose, who by this point had turned to the nearest bush and vomited. She put her hand on her best friend's back, trying to calm her own panic to sooth her in her motherly tone. "Hey, Rose. I know this is terrible. Porrim is going to be here in a few minutes, and she is going to drive us to see your mother, okay?" Before she could say anything else, the blond turned around and threw her arms around her, sobbing. Kanaya simply held her and pat her back, shushing her until Porrim arrived not two minutes later. Kanaya helped Rose into the car, and Porrim drove off.

"Alright so what's the situation? What happened?" Porrim asked, her voice filled with concern.

The younger sister looked at her friend, still sniffling, then started to answer. "Rose got a call from the hospital saying her mom was in a car accident. That's all we really know. Rose, do you know what she was doing that may have cause this?"

The blond was in thought for a minute, then that thought seemed to turn to anger. "Yeah. She was on a date with some guy. I'll bet you anything he was drunk. I told her not to do this. But she said he seemed fine, so I believed her. I can't believe this. If she dies, it's all my fault!"

"No it's not! Rose Lalonde stop it right now!" Kanaya realized she was yelling, which probably wasn't the best for her friend right now. She took a deep breath. "Look. You couldn't have known. None of this is your fault. And besides, maybe the situation is not as bad as you're making it out to be." Rose did not seem to be responding well to Kanaya's attempt at comfort.

"We're here." Porrim announced. "Rose go. We will wait for you in the lobby."

* * *

Rose left the car and dashed to the front desk. "Hi I'm looking for a Roxy Lalonde. She's my mother and I was called a few minutes ago saying she was here."

The lady at the front desk nodded. "Of course. Go down the hall, take the first right, second door on your left."

"Thank you so much." The girl hurried down the hallway, following the instructions she was given, and carefully opened the door. Even though she expected the worst, she was not prepared for what she saw.

On the sterile white bed lay her mother, eyes closed, many deep cuts and bruises on her entire body. There were wires poking out of her in so many places, all hooked up to various beeping and glowing machines, it almost seemed like she was more robot than human. Rose wasn't sure what to think. Feeling suddenly faint by the sight, she collapsed onto the chair right behind her. She put her head in her hands, taking deep breaths to avoid a panic attack. Though it's been a while since she had one, she knew it could be serious if she had one now, and that's the last thing she needed. A nurse walked in to the room, not knocking. _Of course she wouldn't need to knock. It's not like she would walk in on anyone changing or something._

The nurse was slightly startled by Rose's presence. "Oh. Hello. Can I help you?"

"Probably not, but hopefully you can help her. This is my mother. How is she doing?" Rose responded, trying not to be sarcastic or rude.

"Ah yes. Well, unfortunately, the crash was pretty severe, but she happened to acquire the worst of the injuries. Deep wounds to the head and upper body, bruises, concussion, a broken leg, and we think she may have suffered injury to her spinal cord. She is in a coma, and we have no idea when she will wake up. I'm sorry honey." The nurse attempted to comfort her, but was very unsuccessful.

Rose took a second to take in all of what was just told to her. "You say when she will wake up. She will wake up, right?"

Knowing she had to tread lightly, the nurse spoke slowly and carefully. "It's too early to tell. Over the next couple days, we will be able to do some more tests and see exactly the extent of her injuries. Until then, I have nothing else to tell you."

The girl was shaking now, physically and her voice. "What about other people. There was someone else in the car, wasn't there? Where is he?"

"Yes there was. He is two doors down. He has only sustained deep cuts, a broken arm, and two broken ribs." The nurse spoke informatively.

"Am I allowed to see him?" Rose asked, her voice slowly filling with anger. The nurse nodded, and she headed out to his room. She walked two doors down, and opened the door forcefully.

Sitting before her was a man with a very rough physique, like he had been in a gym most of his life. He had a bit of stubble on his sturdy jaw, dark brown hair, and a scar over his right eye, clearly made years ago due to how faded it was. "Can I help you doll face?" He spoke with a sort of New York mobster style accent.

"Y-yeah. You were with my mom weren't you? In the car tonight." Rose asked, slightly scared, but very angry.

The man sat back in his bed slightly. "Probably. You look almost identical so that makes sense. The name's Jack, what can I –"

His sentence was cut off by Rose's hand slapping him square in the jaw. "How could you?! You have a lot of nerve to sit here so calmly while my mom is in a coma because of you! You reek of alcohol. Why is it always the drunk ones that get away with nothing while the good ones always end up hurt?" Rose started to violently shake now. "I don't care who you think you are, or what you said to my mom to make her like you, but you disgust me and you will pay for what happens to my mom! I will not rest until you are in jail for what you've done you sick bastard!" By this point there were nurses who had heard the yelling and had grabbed hold of Rose, trying to pull her out of the room. "No! This man has committed a terrible crime and I want him arrested!" She was being dragged out kicking and screaming while Jack smirked and waved goodbye to her.

* * *

Rose was taken to the front lobby and told to calm down. Porrim and Kanaya had seen her and were surrounding her, telling the nurses to back off. She felt Kanaya's arms around her, which stayed there until she calmed down. "I'm alright now, thanks."

Kanaya let go of her. "I want to know what happened, but that is for later. Is there anything else you need to do before we leave?"

"Yeah. I just need to talk to the lady about when I can visit my mom." Rose responded, sniffling in between words.

"Okay. Go do that. We will wait here." Kanaya watched Rose then turned to her sister. "What are we going to do?"

Porrim seemed slightly puzzled by the question. "What do you mean? She's going to live with us until her mom gets released from the hospital."

Kanaya smiled, then frowned again. "That's great, but that means you have to sacrifice stuff. No drugs, no expensive parties, and especially no alcohol. Rose is very… sensitive around alcohol."

"Of course, sis. I would never even dream of doing anything to put any of you in danger. We will figure out the specifics later, but for now let's just get her home." Porrim responded. She was in her super motherly mode right now, which comforted Kanaya.

Rose walked back over. "Alright so I convinced the hospital to put you guys on my family list so you two can visit whenever you want along with Dave and Dirk, since you guys are all practically family."

"That's great. Thank you for that Rose." Porrim said, pulling her in for a small side hug. "Now, you are going to live with us until your mother is released from the hospital. I want you to have a place to stay with other people around. Sound good?"

The blond could not believe it. "Uh, yeah, that's great actually. Wait, would I be able to keep my cats at your place too? If not, I can just go over twice a day to feed them and stuff."

Kanaya looked at her friend. "No that's perfectly fine. You can keep them at our house. But we will figure out everything tomorrow. For now, let's get you home." She wrapped her arm around the other girl and the three of them walked back to the car and drove home.

 **That will be all for now.**

 **~Jane**


	10. Chapter 10

**That was quite exciting wasn't it? Well, on to even more thrilling things. Time for the big One-Oh.**

 **Also, I know I promised a few shorter chapters, but I lied. This one's pretty long, which means more great plot for you to cling onto for the next two weeks. Enjoy.**

 **DISCLAIMER: Something about Homestuck being owned by Andrew Hussie**

Chapter 10

People were starting to leave the school, tired out from the dancing. Dave, dinky plastic crown on head, turned to a slightly angry Karkat. "Dude, I told you. They aren't gonna give out two Homecoming King crowns. Society obviously isn't ready for that yet." The blond reached his arm out and wrapped it around the smaller boy, who crossed his arms.

"I know, but it doesn't mean the queen had to be Jade… I mean I guess she's nice and all, it's just… Forget it." Karkat huffed.

The boy with shades chuckled. "Karks, are you _jealous_ of Jade?" The redhead avoided his gaze. "Dude, don't worry. I'm not interested in her. Sure, the once or twice I saw her around school in like 8th grade I thought she was cute, but I'm not really into that anymore. She will probably always just be a friend to me. You're all that I want." He hugged Karkat, who made a small chuckle in his throat and smiled.

Soon, Dirk pulled up and rolled down his window, yelling, "Get in lovebirds we're going home!" To which Dave narrowed his eyes, but nonetheless, he got up, took Karkat's hand, and walked to the car. About halfway home, he realized he didn't see Rose or Kanaya for the later half of the dance. He opened his messages and texted Kanaya, asking where they were, since he knew Rose was notoriously bad about answering her messages when it came to him. The three arrived home and Dirk walked to the bathroom before Kanaya had responded.

 _Kanaya: Sorry For Taking So Long To Respond. Rose Got A Call From The Hospital Saying Her Mom Was In The Hospital After Being In A Car Accident. Roxy Is In A Coma, And The D-Bag She Was With Is Practically Unharmed And Doesn't Seem To Feel Bad About It. Rose Is Going To Live With Me And Porrim Temporarily. I'm Sorry I Did Not Contact You Sooner. I Will Talk With You More In Detail On Monday._

Dave didn't even respond, he just went numb. Roxy had been his step-mom for years, and he still considered her his mother. He didn't know how long he was sitting there in shock, but after what seemed like forever, Karkat tapped him on the shoulder and asked what's wrong.

"Hey Dirk." Dave called, snapping out of his daze but starting to shake. Dirk walked in the room. "I just got a text from Kanaya. Mom… Roxy was in a car accident. She's in a coma." Dave started to cry. Dirk sat down next to him, trying to comfort him, but doing a poor job, since he started crying too. Karkat just put his arm around Dave, trying to make him feel better.

After some time had passed, Dave sat up from his head-in-hands position and turned to Karkat. "Sorry, this probably seems very out of place. So, I know you have known me for long enough to know about Roxy being Dirk's and my stepmom for a few years. We still think of her as our mom, cause she's really the only mom I've ever known. Dirk knew our mom, but I was too young to ever know her. See, when I was about 1, our mom had split with our dad, and when she started dating again, she got in a car accident and died instantly. Just like in this case with Roxy and her boyfriend, my mom's date was left practically unscathed. So, you would imagine that we are both extremely sad and pissed off that this happened to Roxy."

Karkat sat for a minute in shock. "Wow. I didn't realize. I'm so sorry. Now I want to kill the STUPID IDIOT WHO HURT ROXY AND MADE YOU UPSET WHERE IS HE?!"

Dave grabbed ahold of his boyfriend's wrist, pulling him back onto the seat. "No. Not now. We don't know enough for this to be an issue." Dave would have said more, but turned to his brother, who had started screaming and sobbing, throwing his shades across the room. A shattering sound was heard by the three. Dave saw his older siblings' shades land on the floor in many pieces. "Bro…"

Dave extended his arm towards Dirk, who slapped it off. "No. I know you just wanna help little bro, but this is something I've gotta fix. I remember the loss of one mother, I can't stand to see anyone I care about go through something that tragic." Without looking at anyone, Dirk walked to his room, slamming the door behind him. Dave's legs gave out and he fell onto their couch. His body started shaking, though no tears came out. Karkat sat next to him, holding him close and whispering words of comfort.

"Dave. Look at me." Karkat took his partner's head into his hands and turned his face towards his own. He reached up and started to remove Dave's shades, to which Dave promptly tensed up and grabbed Karkat's wrist. "Dave please. I need you to look me in the eye when I tell you this." Once again, Karkat started to remove Dave's shades, meeting less resistance from the other boy than last attempt. He set them down on the table next to the couch, and turned back around to find that Dave closed his eyes. "Dave this is serious. Open your eyes."

The blond sighed. "Alright, but don't freak out."

Karkat, suddenly concerned his partner had a third eye or something, nodded. "Why would I? Dave, trust me."

Dave sighed and slowly opened his eyes, revealing bright, jolly-rancher red eyes. Karkat gasped. "Yeah yeah I know. Super freaky. I hate my eyes. Why do you think I wear shades all the time?"

Without giving a second thought, Karkat leaned forward and gave a quick peck on Dave's lips. "I think they are wonderful. But we can discuss that later. Dave, I know you want to do something to help out Roxy, but your brother's right. He's the adult here and he should handle it. Believe me, I know it's hard to just sit back and take this in without taking any action against a person who injured someone you love, but for now we just have to make sure Roxy is okay. Then we will worry about everything else. How about we go see her tomorrow. I'll even get my annoying brother to drive us if you want."

Dave gave a small chuckle low in his throat. "Thanks Karks. But maybe Dirk can drive us, since I'm sure he will want to see Roxy too. But thank you for that. You're a pretty great boyfriend." He leaned into Karkat and snuggled with him, falling asleep quickly.

* * *

Kanaya woke up in a groggy haze. She looked over to see Rose still sleeping soundly. _I'm glad she was finally able to get some rest_. After they had arrived home late last night, Rose went into a sense of hysteria, not even making it two steps into the door before she collapsed on the floor crying and clutching her stomach, yelling how she was going to make Jack pay for what he's done. After about an hour of fruitless attempts to get her to calm down, Kanaya decided to just let her do her thing until she calmed down. Another 45 minutes passed before Rose began to calm down, eventually crashing on the floor. Porrim then picked her up and set her in Kanaya's bed, where Rose immediately settled down for the night. Relieved, the other two went to bed.

Kanaya got up, quietly leaving the room, and headed to the bathroom. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was a mess. She ran a comb through her hair just to get it looking half decent, splashed some water in her face, then headed downstairs. She walked into the kitchen to find her sister hunched over her laptop in her bathrobe with some coffee and spirits on the table. "Hey 'Rim, what are you doing? I thought you would still be asleep."

Porrim sighed. "I tried to get to sleep, but couldn't stop thinking about this Jack guy. As you can see, I tried to force myself to sleep with a couple drinks, but knew pretty quickly that wouldn't work, so I decided to research instead. I haven't come up with a whole lot unfortunately."

"Yeah, about that. You can't have the drinks around. At least for a while. Rose is super sensitive around alcohol, and I don't really want her to have easy access to it if at all possible. So, if you must have one, that's fine, but not while Rose is around." Kanaya wanted to protect Rose as much as possible. She knew Porrim hasn't gone on a drinking spree in a while, but anything can happen.

"Of course." Porrim got up, putting the bottle back in the pantry. "So, if Rose is going to be here a while, then we might as well let her sleep in the guest room. We may also not eat out as much, just because I now have to provide for an extra person. Which is obviously not a problem, I'm more than happy to have her here, especially at a time like this, but we just have to make a few minor changes. Then, if Roxy-" Kanaya's eyes widened. Porrim stopped herself. "When Roxy wakes up, then we will take things from there. Now, enough about this for now, should we make breakfast? Then you can go and wake Rose up when it's ready."

Kanaya smiled. "Sounds good."

* * *

 _Rose wanted to spend every day in her mom's hospital room until she got better, but Kanaya and Porrim thought it would be best if she went home with them and visited every day for a few hours. Today, Porrim had dropped her off down the street, since she needed to go the other way to run some errands. Rose walked down the street and into the hospital doors, walking towards her mother's room. There was a swarm of nurses and doctors yelling different things at each other outside her mom's door. Rose panicked and ran towards them. "What's wrong? Let me see my mother."_

 _"I'm sorry sweetie, but your mother is in critical condition. Her heart rate is dangerously low and we have to save her. Wait in the hall please." One of the nurses responded._

 _Rose wasn't having any of it, and pushed passed all the nurses and doctors into her mom's room. She made it in just as the heart monitor switched from beeping to a static, continuous noise. "Mom?"_

 _Some of the doctors looked at each other solemnly, then looked at Rose. One of the doctors spoke. "I'm so sorry. We did everything we could." One of the other people there pulled her mom's bed sheet over her face._

 _"No. No No No NO NO NO NO NO! Mom! Wake up!" Rose screamed. She ran to her mom's bedside, clutching her quickly chilling body. She kept calling out to her mom, obviously getting no reply. She heard a man chuckling in the background. She turned around, and the room was empty except for the man who the voice belonged to. The man stepped under one of the lights, and Rose could see his features more clearly. Rugged, tall, and with a scar on his one eye. Rose narrowed her eyes. She knew who it was. "Jack."_

 _"Hey dollface. It's a pity your old hag didn't make it." He smirked, obviously not being sincere._

 _Rose started crying again, choking out her words. "But why. Why would you do this to my mother? My only family?"_

 _"Well, If I told you that, I would have to kill you, sweetie." Jack gave a creepy smile, starting to advance towards her. "I suppose I could skip the talking part and get straight to the killing."_

Rose jolted awake, sweat covering her body. _Only a dream. That's all it was. You're fine._ Rose sighed and calmed herself down before attempting to get out of bed. After a few minutes, she got up and walked downstairs, smelling pancakes and eggs and coffee. "Morning."

"Good morning Rose dear. We were almost done with breakfast. Just sit at the table and I will bring it there in a few minutes." Porrim said. Rose always thought she was so kind, even though she hadn't known her for very long.

She walked to the table, sitting in one of the nice but simple dining chairs. Kanaya sat down shortly after, handing her coffee and keeping one for herself. "So, did you sleep alright Rose?"

Not wanting her friend to know about her dream just yet, she just responded with a simple nod and drank some coffee. "Yeah thanks. Can we go by my house today so I can pick up my cats and such?"

"Of course Rose. We don't really have much planned for today, so we can take our time and do that after breakfast if you want." The raven smiled, taking another sip of her own hot drink.

Porrim walked up with plates full of pancakes, eggs, and toast, setting two of the plates in front of the two girls, then walking back to the kitchen to get her own before sitting down at the table. "Well, I hope everything tastes alright. Sorry that there's no bacon. I have to run out and get more."

Rose smiled. She loved pancakes and hadn't eaten them in so long. "It's not a problem Porrim. This looks delicious." The three girls chatted for a while about different topics while indulging in their food. It didn't take much for Rose to clear her plate and get seconds.

"Wow Rose. You must have a high metabolism. I wish I could eat as much as you and not worry about the consequences." Kanaya laughed, giving her friend a little shove. "Well, as soon as you're done, we can grab stuff from your house if you want."

The blond nodded. "Sounds like a plan." Then gave a small smile before eating some more food.

After a little more conversation and eating, the three had finished. Porrim stood up and cleared all the plates. "Well, why don't you two go get dressed, then we can go grab Rose's stuff and hang out at the park for a bit."

The girls nodded. "Rose, you can borrow some of my clothes for now. The pants may be a bit long for you, but I'm sure I can find something you can borrow for the day." Kanaya smiled, and the two walked up to Kanaya's room. Closing the door behind her, Kanaya immediately started for the closet, pulling out a lavender shirt and some jean shorts, throwing them at Rose. "Here, try these on. They should fit."

Rose grabbed them mid-air and started to change, dumping the dress she was still in from last night on the floor. She pulled the soft shirt over her head, and pulled on the high-waisted jean shorts. She walked over to the full-length mirror, checking out how she looked. The shirt was a little long, but other than that, it worked pretty well for a borrowed outfit. _Damn, I look good in her clothes. I should steal them more often. It's a little chilly out, I wonder if I can steal one of her hoodies._ She smiled slightly at the thought.

"That suits you well. I like that color on you. It brings out your eyes." Kanaya walked into the mirror's view behind her, admiring the two of them together.

Rose grinned. "Thanks. Hey, since it's a little cold out, do you mind lending me a hoodie too?"

Kanaya nodded and walked into her closet again, emerging a few seconds later holding a Black hoodie with a simple swirl design on it. "Here, you can borrow this. I don't get cold as easily, so I don't need anything major. I'll probably take my zip up jacket though."

The blond took the jacket from Kanaya, slipping it on. It was very comfortable, slightly big, and smelled like the perfume Kanaya wore often. _It smells like… Is that rosemary? Hm. It's nice. One of my favorite herbs._ "Alright. I think I'm ready. Shall we go?"

"We shall." The pair walked downstairs and met Porrim, who was dressed very casually in sweats and a loose T-shirt, her hair in a beautiful messy bun. "We're ready."

Porrim smiled at the two. "Alright. Off to Rose's house." The three walked to the car, and Porrim drove down the street to the Lalonde residence, parking in the driveway.

As the three got out the car, Rose sighed. Even being near this house made her sad. She used her house key and unlocked the door. She stepped inside first, followed by Kanaya, then Porrim. Everything was the way she left it yesterday evening. The couch had a few old throw pillows on it, the kitchen had the same empty cups and plates lying around, and one of her mom's wine glass tumbler. It was like a coffee travel mug, except it had a wine glass in the middle. At the sight of the mug, Rose got an immediate pang deep in her stomach. _Everything is going to remind me of her isn't it?_ "I need to get stuff from my room first, then we can grab the cat's stuff."

"I'll go get some grocery bags out of the car. Sis, why don't you go help Rose?" Porrim suggested, heading out the door back to the car.

Rose led Kanaya up to her room, opening up the door. Her room was obviously still the same, but something about the air felt different. Like this house was no longer her comfortable home. At least without her mom there. "Okay so I mainly need to grab some clothes, but do you mind grabbing my laptop, school bags, and knitting bag? You can just set them on the bed for now." She walked to her closet and started grabbing a ton of clothes. _Well, I shouldn't be staying for long, however, I'm not sure what will come up, so might as well have more than less._ After grabbing what seemed like half her closet, she turned around and set her things down on her bed, setting it next to the things Kanaya had just collected.

Just as they had finished, Porrim knocked on the door and walked into the room holding several material and reinforced plastic grocery bags. They all helped in stuffing the various items into the bag. After that was done, they walked back out to the car and put the bags in the trunk. Rose then quickly went back inside and grabbed the cats and their carriers, Porrim grabbed their food, and Kanaya grabbed the litter boxes. They packed it in the car, took it all back to the house, and started to help Rose settle in for her temporary stay.

* * *

Dirk, Dave, and Karkat were driving to the hospital. They had impatiently waited until around 9:30 to make their way down, since they weren't sure if they were allowed to even visit. Dave had hoped Rose would talk the hospital into letting them be on the family list, but who knows?

They pulled up to the front doors and found a parking spot right next to them. They got out and slowly walked to the front door. Karkat intertwined his fingers with Dave's, and Dave gave a small smile, and the three proceeded to the front desk.

"Hello, we are looking for Roxy Lalonde. She was admitted here last night." Dirk told the lady at the reception desk.

The lady smiled. "Yes, what are your names? We are only letting family in at this time."

Dirk pulled out his ID. "Dirk Strider. And this is my little bro Dave Strider."

The receptionist looked at his ID for a moment, looked at her computer, then back at Dirk. "Alright. You two may go in, however, you," she motioned to Karkat, "must stay here, since your name is not on the list. Unless you can prove you're family."

Dave tightened his grip on Karkat's hand, and Karkat looked at him and shook his head slightly. "That's okay. Can I just wait in the lobby then?"

"Of course. Mr. Strider, Ms. Lalonde is going to be down the hall, first right, second door on your left." The receptionist gestured down a hallway, then returned to her work.

"Thank you so much." Dave said, waving goodbye to Karkat, then heading down the hallway with his brother. Dave was preparing himself for the worst. He had seen enough reality shows to know that crashes were usually pretty severe. They eventually arrived at the door the lady said. The brothers looked at each other, then proceeded to slowly open the door. Immediately Dave's nose was filled with the smell typically associated with hospitals. That really sterile smell. Then, he saw Roxy, wires hooked up to various parts of her arms and chest, different machines beeping and dripping liquids into her body. He looked at Roxy's face, which was pretty pale apart from the bruises and cuts that sprinkled her skin. He couldn't believe this.

Before he could process anything else, he saw his brother kneeling beside the bed, holding Roxy's hand, sobbing. "Oh god, Roxy. How could this happen? I promise, I will find out why this happened and I will make sure that douche is behind bars at best. I swear to you."

Not knowing what else to really do, Dave kneeled beside his brother, and they just sat there, holding each other close, saying nothing.

* * *

 **I considered breaking this chapter up into two separate chapters, but I figured you guys needed some serious character and plot, so I just made it a single chapter. Hope you guys loved it. Please leave me reviews and stuff if you like it, or if you have any comments or suggestions.**

 **~Jane**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello everyone! I would like to start off by apologizing that this chapter is shorter than the last few have been. The story is slowing down for a bit, but I promise it will become more exciting soon, so bear with me. :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Homestuck. We know this.**

Chapter 11

Rose was rudely awoken by the blaring sound of her alarm. She groaned, turned it off, then slowly got out of bed. She looked around the room for a minute. It was a simple room, with tan walls and a twin sized bed with hawaiian style sheets, but it was cozy and Rose liked it. She appreciated that she was able to sleep in it, her cats sleeping in their beds next to hers. _It's not home, but it feels like it. I'm so glad I have Kanaya and Porrim here to help me out._ Rose thought as she opened the door and walked into the kitchen. She was soon greeted by the smell of hot coffee and toast.

"Good morning Rose. I have your coffee on the table for you, and the toast is almost done." Porrim said as she smiled at her. "I have to run to work, so hopefully Kanaya will be up soon to keep you company. I will see you later." She walked past Rose, placing a kiss on her head. They had gotten into this habit pretty much the day after Rose started living in the Maryam residence. Porrim was practically family to Rose, so it wasn't all that weird.

"Bye Porrim." Rose shouted as she took a sip of her coffee and went to go put nutella on her toast. A few minutes later, Kanaya walked down, hair disheveled, pajamas slightly sagging around her body, and a sleepy expression still on her face. _She looks so cute, even like that. I could wake up to that every morning._

"Morning Rose." The raven said, voice slightly rough from sleep. She sat down and started eating her food and took a sip of coffee. "So, are you okay to go to school today?"

The blond stopped for a second, thinking. "Well, yeah. Of course I'm fine to. I'm not sick, I'm not injured, I'm not dead. I think that's grounds to go to school." She finished her coffee, stood up, and put her dirty dishes next to the sink. "I'm going to go get dressed. See you in about half an hour and then we'll leave."

She walked to her room and closed the door behind her, resting her back against the door. _It's okay Rose. You only have to put up this whole 'I'm okay' act for another week or so. By then, mom will wake up, and my life will go back to normal again._ She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and got dressed, trading in her sweatpants and oversized New York t shirt for a plain lavender shirt and black jeans. She pulled her brush through her hair, and put her thin black hair band in like she always did. "Alright. Time to not look like a zombie." Rose grabbed her makeup bag and pulled out all the usuals: Foundation, contour makeup, mascara, eyeliner, and of course, black lipstick. After her long process with overpriced pigment and brushes, she was finally satisfied with her appearance. Rose grabbed her black converse and and backpack and walked to the living room.

"Alright I'm ready!" Kanaya yelled. She walked out and Rose couldn't help but smile. Kanaya was only dressed in a simple band t shirt and jeans, but she still looked great to Rose.

"Let's go." Rose said. The girls grabbed their bags and left the house, heading towards school.

* * *

Not two seconds after walking into school, Kanaya saw Dave running up to her, a concerned look on his face. "Hey Dave. So, I guess you went to the hospital."

Dave gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Yeah… I just can't get over the reality of it. It sort of feels like a nightmare still. Like something weird will happen and I'll wake up and everything will be okay. Rose, how are you holding up?"

"What? Oh. I'm fine. I guess I feel the same as you. But a little different. Like a piece of my body is missing. Not stolen, not gone, just missing. If that makes any sense." Rose sighed, then changed her expression to something softer. "Anyway, I don't really want to talk about it right now. I heard you got Homecoming King for the sophomores. Congrats. Who was the Queen?"

"Oh. It was Jade. Karkat was more than a little jealous of her. I can't say I blame him, but I-"

"I was NOT jealous. I told you I just thought I saw you enjoying the King and Queen dance just a _little_ too much. That's all." The short redhead had walked up behind Dave and grabbed his hand, holding him close.

 _He's jealous._ Dave mouthed to the girls. The three of them laughed.

"Hey you guys!" a voice called. Kanaya looked behind Dave and Karkat to see a girl with long black hair and round glasses walking towards them.

"Hi Jade. I heard you were Homecoming Queen. That's cool. How are you?" Kanaya decided to try and make small talk with her, hoping to draw attention away from Karkat's increasingly red face. She didn't want anyone getting in a cat fight.

Jade smiled. "Oh thank you. It was kind of a surprise, but it was nice to have a chance to catch up with Dave again. It's been awhile since we were in the same class. Anyway, I'm good, but I actually came here to ask how _you_ guys are." She turned to Rose. "I heard about what happened to your mom. I am so sorry that happened."

Rose stopped for a second. "How did you-"

"Well, I told you how my grandfather worked at Feferi's mansion. Since he was just 'the help', no one payed attention to the fact that he listened in on their conversations. Feferi's dad owns a wide range of business, such as hospitals. So, naturally, I figured out how to hack into their systems and keep track on patients, just in case I found something suspicious." Everyone looked shocked at Jade. Who knew such an innocent looking girl would do something like that? However, Jade didn't seem to notice the expressions, and continued. "I was perusing through the ER files, and I saw Lalonde come up, along with a description of the situation as it stood. So basically, I know about as much as you do on her status. But I digress, I want to help. I propose a fundraiser. The whole school can get involved. Does anyone have any ideas?"

Kanaya piped up before anyone else could. "While I think we all greatly appreciate your help, I don't really think the whole school should know about this. There's a lot of details we still don't know, and I don't want anyone jumping to conclusions."

"I understand. But, I can't let you just deal with this. I do want to help. Let me talk to Feferi's parents. Maybe I can get them to donate some money towards Ms. Lalonde's medical bills. It's the least I can do."

Kanaya, unsure of what to think, looked at Rose, who by now had turned an odd shade of pale-green. "Rose… are you alright."

Rose nodded, then looked up at Jade. "I appreciate that Jade. But, I don't think you should trust Feferi's parents. I don't want Feferi or Vriska to find out."

"Oh don't worry about that." Jade reassured them. "Feferi hardly talks with her parents because they're so busy. There's no was she could find out. So, knowing that, can I help you out?"

Kanaya nodded. "That sounds great. Both Rose and I really would like that. Thank you. Well, we should probably head to class. See you around?"

"Sure thing! See you later!" Jade waved and walked into the cafeteria.

"I hope that was okay that I said that Rose. I didn't know if you were going to respond at all." Kanaya said, feeling slightly guilty about the events in hindsight.

Rose shook her head. "No that's fine. I would have said the same thing, and I'm sure Dave would have too. Right Dave?"

Dave looked at Rose, his expression pretty stolid. "I agree. I think it would be great for the most powerful chick in school's family to help us out, without having her know. What do you think sis? I think it's a dumb idea and we shouldn't trust Jade. I think she's cool, but I don't know how much she really knows about Feferi. Maybe she's just like Feferi, and she'll turn around and tell the whole school. It was a bad call and I wish I had a chance to speak up. But _someone_ wouldn't let me talk." He glared at Kanaya, or she would have imagined was glaring, since he had his shades on. "I'm going to class. See ya later." He grabbed Karkat's hand and they walked away.

Kanaya's eyes started watering. "I'm sorry Rose. I didn't think about anything. I just wanted to help. I can't stand seeing you upset because of your mom. I'm sorry." Before she gave Rose a chance to respond, Kanaya walked into the bathroom, leaving Rose alone in the hallway.

 **Like I said. It will pick up in a few chapters again. Until then, please leave your reviews and suggestions. I really appreciate them, and all of you who follow, favorite, and simply read this story. I wouldn't be writing this without you.**

 **~Jane**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello again! Wow, I feel like last chapter was rather slow. Sorry about that. Let's spice things up a bit shall we?**

 **DISCLAIMER: Something something Homestuck. Something something Andrew Hussie.**

Chapter 12

For the rest of the day, Kanaya avoided her friends like the plague. She didn't want to confront the fact that she had made the situation even worse, and potentially ruined any relationship she had with Rose or Dave. She sat alone in the courtyard at lunch, and when it came to French class, she sat on the opposite side of the room as Rose, avoiding eye contact at all costs. When the final bell rang, Kanaya rushed out the door and proceeded to walk home without Rose. _This is ridiculous, but I'm sure she doesn't want to talk to me right now anyway._ To make sure Rose didn't end up walking the same route home as her, she decided to walk out the back entrance by the outdoor basketball courts and take the long way around. Looking around to make sure she wasn't being followed by someone she knew, she sighed sadly and opened the door. She walked out a couple steps, then suddenly her vision went dark. Kanaya gasped.

"Haha I told you she would walk home alone today." A girls' voice said. Kanaya knew she had heard the voice before, but couldn't place it just yet.

"Ugh fine you were right. Now, shall we have a little fun with our new _friend_?" This voice Kanaya recognized.

"F-Feferi? That's you isn't it? And that means... " Kanaya's whole body went slack. "Vriska. Take off this blindfold right now."

Vriska chuckled. "Aw. Is the poor little baby scared of the dark? Fine. I was going to take it off anyway. I want to see your _whole_ face." She untied the material, and Kanaya immediately started to blink, attempting to readjust to the light. After a minute or so, Kanaya could see everything clearly again. She looked at Vriska, and before anyone could say anything, punched her in the gut, who immediately doubled over and let out a breathy grunt. After up-righting herself again, she grabbed on to Kanaya's hair and pushed her head against the wall, standing really close to her. "You're going to be sorry you did that, bitch." She took out the material earlier used to blindfold Kanaya and handed it to Feferi. "Tie up her hands. She won't be needing them."

Kanaya felt a sharp pain as the course material was tightly wrapped around her two wrists. She let out a little whimper. "What do you want with me Vriska? I haven't done anything to you. I should, and probably could, but I have no fight to pick with you."

"Oh contraire, my stupid little s'more. See, I heard you talking with Jade earlier today, and couldn't help but overhear about your girlfriend's mother's terrible accident." Vriska relaxed her grip on Kanaya, shifting back ever so slightly. "So I went straight to Jade, who squealed like a piglet. I assume you two are blaming Jack for all of this, right?"

"Well why wouldn't we…" Kanaya's voice trailed off. "Wait. I haven't said anything about Jack all day. How could you possibly know?"

Vriska gave a small smirk. "Well, I put two and two together when my uncle was admitted into the hospital for minor injuries after a crash. See, I heard he was taking some ditzy slut out to dinner the other night, and after I heard about Lalonde's mother being in a car crash with someone else, I put two and two together."

Kanaya's face went numb. "Your… uncle?"

"Yeah, I don't like to talk about it much. He's not exactly our family's pride and joy. Though I did learn some things from him, like how to persuade a person to keep quiet about something." Vriska looked Kanaya in the eye. "So here's what's going to happen. You are going to keep quiet about Jack. No one is going to know he was involved in this little incident. In return, I'm not going to bother you. You just leave here as is, and no one knows we ever spoke."

Kanaya considered this for a moment. "And if I refuse? It's not like you could really do anything to me. You don't really scare me." _Total lie, but I have to at least act confident_.

"Is that a no? Are you refusing my terms? Listen here you little slut, no one denies Vriska Serket of what she wants. Especially not when my family is involved." Vriska huffed at Kanaya, clearly getting very furious with her.

Narrowing her eyes, Kanaya looked directly at Vriska before looking down and spitting on her black converse. "Does that answer your question?" She would have probably added an insult to the end of that, but was promptly punched in the jaw by Vriska, which sent her flying, landing on her side on the concrete. She started struggling against the bonds keeping her hands together in hopes of retaliating against the bigger girl.

"Don't say I didn't give you a chance." Vriska walked over to Kanaya and kicked her side. "Feferi, you might want to leave. I wouldn't want someone so politically important to be caught at a scene like this."

Kanaya watched Feferi walk away as she coughed up blood. "You know what? Do your worst. I'm not scared of you."

Vriska cackled. "Is that a challenge? Well, challenge gladly accepted." She stepped on Kanaya's arm, to which she heard a loud snap. Kanaya screamed in agony. Not backing down, she straddled Kanaya, giving her a few punches in the face.

Kanaya started seeing spots in her vision.

* * *

"Dave!" Rose ran up to the blonde, who was, for once, without his partner. "Hey Dave, have you seen Kanaya anywhere? She was in my French class, but dashed out the door as soon as it ended. We usually walk home together and I just needed to make sure she isn't staying late or that she's okay."

Dave huffed. "Why should we really care? Rose, she didn't even take our feelings into account this morning when we were talking with Jade. She just did things without thinking."

"Exactly! She wasn't thinking. All she wanted to do was help, which frankly, is more than most people have done in my life. Come on Dave. You know what happened last time mom was in a bad situation." Rose saw Dave grab his arm. "Yeah. I don't need that happening to us again, and Kanaya doesn't want that either. She was simply trying to help. Now, do you know where she is?"

The boy shifted back, taken slightly by Rose's defense for her friend. "No, unfortunately I don't. But I will help you look. Where have you looked already?"

Rose smiled, grateful for her step brother's help. "I looked in all the bathrooms and checked all her teacher's classrooms. She isn't answering her phone, so that's out."

"Okay. Have you called Porrim? Maybe she is already home."

The girl rolled her eyes. "No. Why would I ever think of that." She said sarcastically. "Of course I called Porrim. Do you think I would be so worried if I hadn't?"

Dave put his hands up. "Alright, alright I'm sorry. I had to ask. Let's check behind the school. Maybe she's talking with someone or doing homework or something." The two set off in the direction of the behind-school basketball courts.

When they got there, Rose opened the door, and immediately her face went pale. There, on the floor, hands above her head, face all bloodied, was Kanaya. What was worse was seeing a girl with long strawberry blonde hair on top of her. She gasped, but stayed quiet, not wanting to be seen.

Her secrecy didn't last long, because Vriska turned her head around and smirked. "Well, if it isn't tweedle dee and tweedle dumb. Come to check on your girlfriend, Rose?"

"Sh- she's not my girlfriend. Just my good friend that you better get off of right now or you won't wake up to see tomorrow." Rose started walking forward, but Dave held her back.

The girl with glasses grinned. "That's cute. Well, if she's not your girlfriend, then I suppose you won't mind me doing this." She turned towards Kanaya, forcing her to an upright position, and smashing their lips together. She ran her hands down Kanaya's back, then up into her hair, all while Kanaya was sitting there helpless.

Rose couldn't take this any longer. Her blood was boiling with anger. She walked up to Vriska, pulled her hair, effectively separating her from Kanaya, and slapped her across the face. "You listen here. I don't care who you think you are. You stay away from me, my friends, and my family. I don't want to see your ugly face near anyone I know, do you understand me you little- ah!"

She would have continued if it wasn't for Dave pulling her arm towards him. "Rose stop. Let her go. I know you don't want to, but she isn't worth your time or energy."

"Aw. Sweet brother to the rescue. I bet after this you'll go home and paint each other's nails and do each other's hair, since he's clearly into being a girl." Vriska smirked, getting up off the floor. "Well, I will see you later, but don't think I will forget this. A Serket never forgets." She walked off with a swagger of someone who thinks they have won a war, when they have only just won the battle.

Rose bent down, looking at Kanaya, who only seemed to be half conscious. "Oh my god Kanaya. I don't know how I could have let this happen to you. Are you alright?"

"Me? Fine. Just fine." Kanaya attempted to stand, only to fall back down again.

Rose held on to her friend and started crying. "This is all my fault. I should have talked to you sooner. I'm so sorry."

Dave knelt down next to the girls. "Hey, as much as I think it's great we are getting things straight, perhaps we should get Kanaya home. Give me your phone Rose. I'll call Porrim."

The girl handed her phone to Dave, who took it and walked away, dialing Porrim's number. Rose stayed by Kanaya's side. "Why did she beat you up? What happened?"

"Well, she listened to our conversation with Jade this morning, and Jade told her everything when it was forced out of her. Apparently, Jack is Vriska's uncle, and it didn't take long for her to figure out your mom was who he was on a date with the other night. She told me if I kept quiet about Jack and what he had done, then she would leave me alone. But I was so frustrated with her that I spat on her shoe, and she took it as a no." Kanaya chuckled weakly. "I guess now I know a spit on the shoe is a sign of disrespect in New York. Who would have thought?"

The blond sighed and rolled her eyes. "We can discuss what to do next later. For now, let's get you fixed up. Can you stand?" She helped up Kanaya slowly, careful not to touch the arm bent at an interesting angle.

Dave walked back up to them. "Porrim should be here soon."

Not thirty seconds after he said that, Porrim pulled up in her car and barely stopped the car before jumping out and running to her sister. "Oh goodness Kanaya!" She hugged her sister gently, which emitted a small yelp from her. "Sorry. Okay, we will talk later. For now, let's get you in the car and take you to the ER."

The three of them collectively helped Kanaya into the back seat and jumped in the car themselves. As Porrim drove off, Rose just sat next to Kanaya, saying nothing, but thinking to herself how she was going to get revenge on Vriska.

 **Was that more exciting? Good. If you are liking this story please make sure to follow it and favorite. Also, if you have any comments, questions, quandaries, kerfuffles, quagmires... you get the point... don't hesitate to tell me! See you soon! (Happy early Valentine's Day for those who celebrate)**

 **~Jane**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello lovelies! I don't really have much to talk about, so let's just get to the fun stuff shall we?**

 **DISCLAIMER: No. I don't own the Homestuck.**

Chapter 13

After arriving home, Rose left the two women and headed to her room. Kanaya sat down on the couch, cast on arm, and meds in hand. She turned to her older sister, who was closing the door and holding her school stuff. "Thanks so much for coming for me Rim. I don't even know what to say."

"How about telling me why the hell you were being beat up at school? I thought you agreed you would tell me if anything was going on!" Porrim took a deep breath. "Sorry, I shouldn't be getting mad at you." She sat down next to her younger sister. "I'm just concerned. The last time you were hurt this badly was when we lived in Houston, and even then that wasn't your fault. So what happened?"

Kanaya hesitated for a second. "Well, I'm not one hundred percent sure myself. See, apparently Vriska-"

"Wait. Vriska? As in the one that you already had a problem with once before?" Porrim started to look a little angry.

"Yes the same, but let me finish. Vriska heard Rose and I talking with Jade, who wanted to help out with stuff pertaining to Roxy while she is in the hospital. I made a mess of the situation because I just wanted to be helpful, so I avoided Rose and Dave the whole day. Vriska got a hold of Jade, who squealed about Roxy's whole situation. After school, Vriska and Feferi blindfolded me and told me I had to keep quiet about the crash."

The older sister gave a questioning look. "Why would you have to keep quiet about it? I mean, the crash was in the news. The whole area knows about it."

"Not not the crash specifically. I have to keep quiet about Jack. He's Vriska's uncle. He's been in a lot of trouble, and if people find out how much trouble, it could spell bad news for the Serket family name." The younger one explained. "Look, there's not much we can do about it now. Can I just rest for a bit? I need to take my meds and I'm hungry for some ramen."

Porrim gave a soft smile. "Yes of course. This can wait. I'll go make you some food." She stood up. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

While she waited, Kanaya turned on the TV, scrolling through the channels, thinking about what the heck she's suppose to do next.

* * *

"I know it has been a while, hasn't it. How are things going for you? I hear your lisp is just as prominent as ever. Some things never change I guess." Rose talked into her phone to an old friend of hers.

"Haha very funny, Rose. Anyway, I've been fine. School's kept me busy, so I haven't been able to do as much gaming like I've wanted to. Sorry about that. I know you keep bugging me to play with you." Sollux said from the other end of the line.

Rose smiled. "Naw it's okay dude. I get that you're busy. But we must find a time for me to beat your sorry ass at something. Anyway, that's not actually why I called you. I need you to hack into something for me. Or rather, I need you to find out all the info you can about someone."

"If this is another one of your creepy attempts to find out more about your latest crush, I won't do it. Last time I did that I saw more than I bargained for." The man shuddered, remembering the incident.

"No no it's nothing like that. I need you to find out information about a man named Jack Noir. He was in a car crash with my mom, and I need to know more about him." Rose sighed. "Please. She's in a coma right now and if I don't get answers about him soon, I don't know what I'm going to do."

The other caller sighed. "Rose, you know how I feel about getting involved with something potentially criminal. I know you are struggling right now. I'm sorry about that. But I can't get involved in your stupid little drama."

Rose thought for a second before speaking. "Okay. I could go to other people for help. Maybe I'll talk to Aradia. Show her that pic of you in my mom's dress and make-"

"Alright alright!" Sollux exclaimed, giving in. "Jeez Rose. That's no fair. Don't pull the girlfriend card on me. And besides, that was one time! Anyway, fine. Do you know anything about this guy to get me started?"

"I know my mom met him on Tinder, and that he is related to the Serket family, but that's all I have to go on. Sorry I can't really give you much more." Rose took the following silence as her friend writing things down. "Thank you so much Sollux. Seriously, this means a lot."

"Yeah yeah. I'll call you if I find anything. Talk to you soon Rose." Sollux hung up the phone.

Rose got up off the bed and grabbed her homework from her bag. Sitting back down, she looked it over, and started filling in the few blanks left. _This stuff is pretty easy, so it shouldn't take me too long. I mean, it's only French homework_. After about 5 minutes, her homework was done, and she sat on her bed with her phone, and proceeded to scroll through social media. Her phone buzzed.

 _Dave: hey sis. how's kanaya doing?_

 _Rose: Not bad. She could be better obviously. She has a broken arm and several bruises, but thankfully she doesn't have a broken nose or anything else wrong._

 _Dave: well, that's good_

 _Rose: Yeah, except I'm really bothered by this whole thing. Like, why would Vriska be so afraid of Jack getting told on unless he did something_ really _bad?_

 _Dave: it's possible. knowing serket, i wouldn't be surprised if criminality runs in the family_

 _Rose: I suppose. Oh hey, I hope you're not still mad at Kanaya. She really didn't mean any harm._

 _Dave: i know that. it's totally fine. she was just protecting us. you'd better keep her around. I think she really likes you._

 _Rose: I know. I'm glad to have her as a friend._

 _Dave: yeah… friend. alright then. talk with you later._

 _Rose: Bye. Say hi to Karkat for me._

Rose then put her phone down, and just sat on her bed. _I don't really know what to make of all this. I feel like I'm in this big loop. A friend gets hurt, I react badly to it, then we are stuck with a whole bunch of unanswered questions. Ugh I wish I could just have a normal life!_ She flung her back against the bed, arms spread on either side of her, and just laid there until she was called for dinner.

* * *

"Rose says hi." Dave informed Karkat as the two of them sat on the redhead's bed.

"Oh Okay. Cool." Karkat played absentmindedly with some thread that was coming off of his bed sheets.

Dave turned to his partner. "Are you alright? You've been acting weird all day. Did I say something? Did something happen at school when I wasn't around. Is someone bullying you because of us? Oh god it's that isn't it? Who is it, cause I will beat them to a pulp."

The shorter boy grabbed the blond's hands. "No no calm down Dave! It's nothing like that." He sighed. "You… you've met my brother, right?"

"Well duh, I've only known you since we were toddlers. Yes I've met Kankri. What about him?" Dave knew Karkat wasn't on the best terms with his older sibling. Sure, they got along just fine, but they had such opposing views that it was hard for Karkat to feel close to his brother.

Karkat looked at Dave. "I, uh, I haven't exactly told him about you… about us. And I'm not sure how he will react to it. I don't want him to think bad of me just because I'm gay…"

"Karks. Karks look at me." Dave lifted his boyfriend's head up so their eyes… well, eyes and shades, met. "You're brother loves you. Dearly. There is no way something like a romantic relationship would set him off. Just because he doesn't like the idea of him dating anyone doesn't mean he would be opposed to you dating someone you love. Is that what's got you bugged? Are you afraid of telling him?"

Karkat nodded his head in response. "I just… I respect him. I can't imagine my life without him. After dad died of cancer, I relied on him for everything. I take his opinion into full consideration."

"Well, then why don't we tell him together?" Dave shifted next to Karkat. "I mean, you were there when we told Bro, I should be here when you tell ol' Cranky."

"It's Kankri." Karkat chided, though he knew full well that was said on purpose.

Dave smirked. "Yeah yeah I know. But anyway, do you want to do that? I heard him come in a few minutes ago. Why don't we do it now?"

The redhead looked at Dave with complete seriousness. "Really? You mean it? You would do that for me?"

"Of course I would Karkles." Dave kissed the top of his partner's head. "You're my boyfriend. I would do anything for you. Always know that."

Karkat pulled his boyfriend in for a soft but long kiss on the lips, wrapping his arms around the other's waist. "Alright. Let's do it." The two got up and walked into the next room, where a man in his mid 20's wearing a red turtleneck sweater and fixing his copper hair was standing. "H-hey Kankri."

"Oh hello Karkat." Kankri pulled his brother in for a light hug. "How are you doing? I trust that your schooling went well? Oh hello Dave. Sorry I didn't mean to ignore you."

"Sup Kankri." Dave saluted the older Vantas with two fingers nonchalantly.

"School was fine. Nothing to report really. Same old monotonous life." Karkat twiddled his thumbs nervously.

Kankri gave a small smile. "Well that's good, I suppose. Is something troubling you? You seem upset about something."

The younger brother gave a shaky inhale. "Yeah actually there is. Uh…. you might want to sit down for this." The three of them sat at their kitchen counter.

"Well, what is going on? I hate seeing my younger brother at unease." Kankri folded his hands neatly on the table.

Karkat looked at Dave, who grabbed his hand under the table and gave a small nod. "Well, see, I may have fallen in love with someone. And I know how you feel about romance, but I assumed that was only for you, so I didn't really ask for advice or anything and I just-"

"Karkat. Karkat it's okay. That's fine that you have come so close to someone. If I may, who is it?" The older sibling knew Karkat was hardly ever honest with his feelings, so his voice was as calm as possible.

"I...uh… well… I'minlovewithDaveStrider." The small teen said as fast as he possibly could in one breath.

Kankri gave his brother a puzzled look. "I'm sorry. Come again? I didn't quite catch what you had said."

The redhead was shaking badly from the nerves, so Dave decided to step in. "Kankri, it's me. Karkat and I are dating. Have been for a couple weeks now."

"Oh." Was all the man could say.

"Yeah." Dave tightened his grip on his boyfriend's hand. "But if you aren't cool with it, I swear, we can cool it. I definitely don't want to disrespect you in any way."

"No no. That won't be necessary Dave. It's just a shock is all. I never thought my brother would find someone he cares for as much as he clearly does you. I am quite happy for you." Kankri smiled. "I couldn't have asked for a better person to court my brother than you."

Karkat looked up at his older sibling. "You mean it? Kank, thank you. You don't know how much this means to me!" He stood up and went to hug his brother.

"As long as you're happy, I don't care who you date. I just want you to have a better childhood than I did, alright? I want you to be honest with me, so thank you for doing that today." Kankri patted his brother's head in their embrace.

"Yeah I will. Totally. Alright, well we still have to do all our homework. Call me when dinner's ready okay?" Karkat grinned at his brother and walked with Dave into his room.

"See? That wasn't so bad was it? I'm proud of you Karks. I really am." Dave smiled at the redhead, pulling him in by the waist.

Karkat stretched his arms to wrap around the other boy's neck. "Yes you were right. Thank you Dave."

Dave smirked. "Anytime, love." He pulled Karkat in for a loving kiss.

 **Well, I hope you enjoyed this. Please favorite, follow and review! I shall see you shortly.**

 **~Jane**


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own this stuff**

Chapter 14

 _Come on mom. You gotta wake up. I need you._ Rose sniffed and wiped away tears for what seemed like the millionth time. She had visited the hospital every single day to check on her mom and ask if any progress had been made. It had been just over three weeks since Roxy had been admitted into the hospital. Three weeks since Rose had been able to actually talk to her mom. She was starting to worry.

"Oh don't worry. Some patients just take longer than others to recover. Your mom will be okay, sweetie." The nurse had said something along those lines every time Rose had been caught crying at her mother's bedside. She had frankly had enough of it.

"Yeah whatever. She will be fine. But not because you said so, but because I believe she will be." Rose stood up, thanked the nurse, and walked out to the lobby and waited until Porrim arrived to take her home. When she did, Rose got in the car, and had a mostly silent ride home, apart from the typical 'how were things?' and whatnot.

As they arrived home, Rose walked to her room, shutting the door, telling the Maryam's she just needed to be alone for a bit. Neither of them objected. Rose pulled out her laptop and began researching coma's a bit more. She typed in _How long can a person be in a coma_ and waited for the results to pull up before clicking on a few of the top links. Overall, it seemed to be that most coma's didn't last more than a month, but have been known to last longer. _Great, so basically, my mom is about to surpass the normal and enter into the 'vegetative state'. That can't be good._ Rose sighed and continued to scroll through websites.

* * *

"Hey Kanaya," Porrim half-whispered at her sister, who was sitting at the kitchen table doing homework. "I need to talk to you."

The younger sibling put her homework down. "Yeah of course 'Rim. What is it?"

"Okay, so it's been almost a month since Roxy declared in a coma. It's not that I have a problem with taking Rose to see her mom every day, but at what point do we tell her there may not be a chance her mom will wake up?" Porrim put her head in her hands and sighed, her wavy hair falling on either side of her face.

Kanaya thought for a minute. "Is there a huge possibility she _won't_ wake up? I mean, can't some people last years in a coma and walk away fine?"

"Well, technically yes." Porrim sat down in a chair. "However, after a month, they will talk to you about continuing or not continuing life support. Now, I know that is ultimately Rose's decision, but how long do we keep this up?"

"Do you have a better solution?" Kanaya sat forward in her chair.

The older sibling shifted. "Sort of. The only option besides keeping her mom on support is, unfortunately, to take her off and adopt Rose as our sister. It would be tough, but I am seeing that as the only logical option."

"No." The short haired girl shook her head. "Taking her off life support is not an option. I know it's probably not completely logical to keep her on, but this is Rose's _Mother_ we are talking about. If I was in her situation and it was you, I would never take you off support. We keep her on until Rose makes her own decision."

"Kanaya, listen to me." Porrim's voice started getting a little louder. "I know you care for Rose, but this is NOT your decision, alright! It's-"

"Mine." Kanaya and Porrim both looked to see Rose standing in the archway to the kitchen, tears in her eyes once more. "It's my decision. I know what kind of problem my mom is in right now. I know how all this works, but I am not taking my mom off of life support. Not until there is concrete evidence proving my mom is not going to wake up."

Without another word, Kanaya got up from her seat and walked over to hug Rose, who then started sobbing on her shoulder. "Shhh. I know. I know it's hard to lose a parent. It's okay Rose. She will wake up. Just… just calm down okay." She started patting her friend's head.

"You're right. I just miss her so much." Rose sniffed, breaking away from Kanaya. "Thanks. I'm going to go take a shower I think."

"Alright." Kanaya smiled softly. "Call me if you need anything." She watched Rose walk off, then turned back to Porrim with a cross expression. "Now you've done it. That's the last thing we needed. How about we not talk about anything related to Rose's mom okay? Just forget about it. I know you're probably trying to help, but you're honestly not helping much okay?" Without waiting for a response, she stormed up to her room. locking the door behind her.

Kanaya slid down the door and cried, head between her knees. _I don't know what to do. I feel like I want to help Rose out, but I have no way to. I'm so useless._ She stayed there until she heard the shower turn off downstairs. _Maybe I'll go and check on her. Make sure she's okay._ She walked downstairs and knocked on Rose's closed door. "Rose? Are you in there? Do you need anything?"

"Yeah, actually. Can you come in for a second?" A muffled voice responded.

The girl shrugged and opened the door, stepping inside and closing it behind her. She saw Rose lying on the bed in her Captain America Pyjama bottoms and an oversized shirt that read 'Books are better than boys'. "Hey. What's up? You feeling any better?"

"Uh, a little I guess. I actually had a favor to ask of you. Could you sit here?" The blond patted a spot next to her on the bed, to which Kanaya obliged. "Okay, so this is probably going to sound weird, so it's okay if you say no."

Kanaya rolled her eyes. "Rose, we may have only been friends for a couple of months, but it's okay. I trust you. What's up?"

The other girl inhaled deeply. "Okay, so I've been having these nightmares every so often about Jack. They're pretty bad. So I was wondering… I was hoping you could sleep with me tonight. I know it sounds stupid, but being with someone I trust gives me less nightmares."

"No. It's not stupid at all. Of course I'll do it. Do you want me to stay in your room the rest of the evening? We can sit in here and talk and stuff." Kanay gave Rose a side hug.

Rose smiled. "Yeah that sounds great, though I'm kinda tired, so we may not actually be talking long. Thank you. This means a lot." The two sat in silence for a few more minutes before Rose spoke again. "One more thing. And this one you can definitely say no to. Or, rather, you can push me away if you don't want to."

Before Kanaya had a chance to wonder what Rose was talking about, she had found her friend's lips against her own, Rose's hands cupping her face. Her lips felt soft and tasted like the grape chapstick Rose always had with her. It didn't take long for Kanaya to kiss back, bracing Rose's back with her hands. _I know this should feel wrong, that I shouldn't do this, but honestly, to hell with it. This is probably just a product of exhaustion and stress anyway._ After what seemed like both an eternity and a mere second, the kiss was over, and Rose slumped back onto the bed.

"Thank you. Just what I needed." Rose fluttered her eyes closed, and her breathing evened.

Not wanting to wake her friend up, Kanaya carefully crawled into bed next to her, wrapped her arm around her, and closed her eyes as well, slowly drifting off into sleep, the taste of grape still subtle on her own lips.

 **See you all in a few weeks!**

 **~Jane**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello everyone!**

 **I would like to say sorry for my short extra-two-week hiatus. I was out of town and could not upload a chapter when I was suppose to. This chapter will be longer than usual just to make up for it.**

 **I think that's all for now, so how about we get on with this thrilling story?**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own this trash.**

Chapter 15

"What's the stitch?" Rose asked, answering her phone and sitting on her bed.

A heavy sigh was heard on the other end of the line. "Rose, I swear, if you _ever_ say anything nerdy like that again, I will not help you anymore. Just because I am your techie friend does not mean that you can quote Kim Possible to me."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah whatever Sollux. What did you find on Jack? Anything useful?" She put it on speaker so she and Kanaya could both hear it.

"No Rose. All I found was that he likes unicorns and puppies." Sarcasm could be heard dripping from his voice. "Of course I found something useful. A lot actually. So for starters, I lost count of the number of times he has been arrested."

"Fantastic." Rose commented. "What for?"

"Oh, many things." Sollux answered. "A few DUI arrests, some DWI's, but most of them for being caught up in gang violence. However, he has not once gone to jail. Every time, his bail money has been paid for by an anonymous figure. No one really knows who it is. They must be rich though."

The blonde wrote this down on a sheet of paper. She had a feeling there was a lot of stuff she would be investigating. "Okay. So what about this gang stuff? Any details on it?"

Sollux gave a slight chuckle on the other end of the line. "Absolutely. I'm sure you've heard of the infamous mafia called the Midnight Crew. Well, he apparently has a connection to them, or at least he had one. No one knows if he still is actually affiliated with the gang. I couldn't find out, so you might want to look into that."

Kanaya looked at Rose and mouthed, " _I know that name. Caused me trouble a few years back_."

"The Midnight Crew is one of the biggest mafia's in the world. That can't be good." Rose jotted down the ever known name of the gang. "Alright, so what about family? I told you he was related to the Serkets. Any more information on that?"

"Mhm." Typing could be heard on the man's end of the line. "Jack is a part of the Serket family, though not by blood. He was adopted by Vorase Serket, who is the biological mother of Minerva Serket."

"Vriska's mother. So that might be part of why he's someone they don't talk about in their family. They take such great pride in their bloodline, he's sort of the outlier." Rose stated.

"Yeah I suppose." Sollux said. "Anyway, Minerva Serket is the current head of the Serket Banking Corporation, one of the largest family owned bank companies in the US."

Rose took note. "I've heard of them before. They are one of the top sponsors at school. So, what about his dating history? Anything on that?"

The man scrolled on his laptop for a second. "Yup. He apparently has a bad history with women. Several women report him causing them physical or emotional damage." He sighed. "However, no one said anything worse than a few bruises or scrapes were incurred from the abuse. The one thing I did find interesting was that he has been divorced three times. The most famous marriage he has been in was with Candace 'Candy' Peixes, who is the current CEO of Peixes Enterprise."

The raven looked at Rose and mouthed " _Peixes… That's Feferi's family_."

The blonde nodded, then responded back to Sollux. "Thank you so much Sollux. You have helped us so much."

"Yeah yeah I know. Hey, how about in return, you burn that picture you have of me in your mom's clothes. I would greatly appreciate Aradia not finding out about that." Sollux half-pleaded.

Rose chuckled. "We'll see about that. Talk with you later Sollux."

"Uh-huh." The man sighed. "Oh, also, I hope your mom wakes up. She's a great woman."

"Thank you. I will update you when I hear anything. Bye for now." Rose hung up the phone. "Well, that was very useful. I feel like we're actually getting somewhere now."

Kanaya repositioned herself, crossing her legs. "That's true, however now I think we have so many more questions. Why don't we tell Porrim all of this and see if she can give us any ideas?"

"Sounds good." Rose started to get up. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. Thank you so much for staying with me last night. I didn't actually have any nightmares, which was a nice change of pace. I can't remember the last person that made me feel so safe." She smiled.

The other girl stood up. "I am more than happy to help Rose. I am glad you could sleep better. Tell me if you ever need me to do something for you again. I would be more than happy to help."

* * *

Both girls walked out into the kitchen, where Porrim was sitting eating a sandwich. "Hey 'Rim, can we talk with you for a sec?" Kanaya asked.

"Of course hon." The older sibling put her sandwich down. "Whats up?"

The girls sat down. "Well," Kanaya started. "We found out a little more information on Jack. Stuff like how he was, and perhaps still is, in the Midnight Crew, how he is really not blood related to the Serket family, how he use to be married to Candy Peixes, and a whole bunch of other stuff. We want to use this information to expose Jack as the criminal he really is and get him put behind bars for what he has done to Roxy."

"Woah, slow down there." Porrim looked at her younger sister. "While I think it's great you want to help, you shouldn't be looking into stuff like this. If there are charges to be pressed, that is between Roxy, Jack, and the police. You shouldn't be doing the police's job. Just be a teenager for now."

"But what if Roxy doesn't wake up for a while?" Kanaya looked at Rose, hoping she hadn't upset her. "She will wake up, but what if when she does it's too late to do anything? We can't just let him get away with what he's done to Rose and Roxy!" The raven's voice continued to get louder, and she stood up next to Porrim.

"Stop!" The woman shouted and stood up, facing her sister. "Ma petite soeur. Vous savez je t'aime, mais ne laissez pas vos sentiments votre jugement. Pensez logiquement."

Kanaya crossed her arms. She hated it when her sister spoke french to her. "Look, I wasn't really asking for your opinion. Sure, I was looking for your approval, but clearly I'm not going to get it here." She sighed. I understand what you're saying, Porrim, but don't think that your lack of support is going to deter me from doing what's right."

"I sincerely hope you won't, Kanaya." Porrim relaxed a little. "I may be your older sister, but I am also your guardian. I'm just trying to protect you. You will not go and do any more with this information you have learned. Leave it to the authorities, understood?"

Porrim raised her hand to pat Kanaya's head, but Kanaya pushed it away. "Je te déteste." She walked off, up to her own room, with Rose followed closely behind her.

"What was that? I didn't know you could speak French that well." Rose asked.

Kanaya sighed. "Yeah I can, I just don't like to show it off much. My mom grew up in France, so her first language is French. She would often speak french to Porrim and I, and taught us a lot. I wasn't able to learn a whole lot, but Porrim knew our mom longer, so she picked up a lot and continued to use it." She felt tears stinging her eyes, and she tried to keep them back. "Porrim only really uses the language when she's really happy or really mad with me, but regardless, every time she uses it, I hate it because it reminds me of my mother."

The blonde walked up to her friend and hugged her. "I'm so sorry, Kanaya." They separated. "So, now what? I mean, your sister seemed very clear about not investigating anything, so what do we do?"

The raven snorted. "What, just because Porrim says we can't do something means we no longer can do it? Come on Rose. We are going to fix this on our own. Sure, I was hoping for Porrim's help, but if she isn't going to give it to me, then we will just have to go it alone. However, that's a lot of information for the two of us to look into…"

"Well, why don't I call up Dave? See if he and Karkat would be willing to help." Rose offered. "I'll give him a call now." She got her phone out and dialed Dave's number, putting the phone on speaker.

"Hello?" A half-raspy voice answered after 2 or 3 rings.

"Dave? Are you still asleep? It's 1:30 pm!" Rose said.

Dave sighed. "Your point? Anyway way what do you want?"

Kanaya decided to pipe up. "Dave, we need your help. We found out some information on Jack and we need you and Karkat to help us research it further. I asked Porrim, but she won't help us. Do you mind coming to the library and looking into things with us today?"

"Oh geez, today? Like right now?" The male groaned. "Alright, but only cause it's you two. Let me ask Karkat if he will come as well." The phone shifted, presumably being moved away from Dave's face. A muffled voice could be heard. "Hey, Karks. Karkles wake up."

A boy groaned. "Good grief what? I was having such a nice dream."

"Oh yeah? Was it about me?" Dave questioned.

Rose and Kanaya fake gagged on the other end of the line.

Karkat chuckled. "As a matter of fact, yes it was. Let me tell you what-"

"Later Karks. I have Rose and Kanaya on the phone asking us if we can help them look into some info they got on Jack. Could you help? Pleeeeeeaaassseee?" Dave asked in a really childish voice.

The redhead groaned. "You know I can't say no when you do the puppy eyes. Ugh fine. Just let me put on different clothes."

The two girls giggled as Dave cleared his voice and put his phone back against his ear. "He said he will do it. We will meet you by the library in maybe 20 minutes?"

"Sounds good." Rose answered. "Thank you guys so much. I'll see you in a few."

"Mhm. You better thank us." Dave retorted, then softened. "No problem, sis. See you soon."

Rose hung up the phone, grinning from ear to ear. "This is great. Alright, so I say we tell Porrim we are going to go hang out for the afternoon, but say we are taking my car. Then we can head to the library. Sound like a plan?"

"Yup, sounds good." Kanaya replied, grabbing her bag and opening her bedroom door. The two girls headed downstairs. "We are going out for the afternoon." She shouted at Porrim.

"Stop!" The older sibling shouted back. She walked to where they were standing, looking at Kanaya. "A quelle heure allez-vous retourner?"

The younger of the two rolled her eyes. _Well, now at least I know she's mad at me_. "Je ne sais pas. But we are going to take Rose's car, so it doesn't matter if you want to do something. I'll see you later." She looked at her sister again, and noticing that her sister was not going to fight back, she and Rose walked out the front door.

* * *

 _I know I shouldn't be thinking this, but Kanaya is really attractive when she's angry and rebellious._ Rose thought this as she got into her car with Kanaya and started to drive to the library.

"Hey Rose, can I ask you something?" Kanaya asked.

"Of course, Kanaya. Something bothering you?" The blonde's voice filled with concern.

The other girl cleared her throat. "Okay, so you can totally not answer this if you don't feel comfortable, but how did you know you were not into guys?"

 _Woah. She doesn't beat around the bush does she_. Rose was taken aback by the question. "Well, to fully answer that question, I have to clarify that it isn't that I'm _not_ into guys, I simply happen to like more than _just_ guys. See, I identify as pansexual." Rose glanced over for a second and saw her friends confused expression. "Ah, you probably don't know what that means. All that means is that I am open to the idea of being in a relationship with any and all sexualities, genders, or any identities really. I figured that out in about the 8th grade. I was dating this guy, and he was pretty cool, but I just felt this feeling like 'is that all? Is there nothing more than just this?' So, we eventually broke it off, and I thought, 'well, shoot, maybe I'm lesbian.' And so I dated a girl, which, again, was fine, I liked it, probably more than I did the guy. Eventually we, too, broke up, and I started figuring out that gender and sexuality is not a two answer checkbox, but rather a sliding scale. I decided I was definitely down with dating anyone who identified anywhere on that so called sliding scale. That's how I figured out, not that I wasn't into guys, but rather that I wasn't strictly straight or strictly gay, rather pansexual. And that is why I consider myself to be the 50 shades of gay."

"Huh. Interesting." Kanaya responded, clearly unsure of what else to respond with.

The blonde chuckled. "Yup… out of curiosity, why do you ask?"

The raven considered this for a moment. "Well, mostly for my own curiosity, since I have only really had simply straight friends or simply gay friends, I was curious about you. That's all."

Rose nodded, and the rest of the drive was filled with mostly silence. Which, of course, wasn't very long because they were almost there anyway.

They pulled up to the library and spotted Dave and Karkat talking to each other at the entrance. The two girls walked up to them.

"Sup ladies. Ready to research the hell out of this guy?" Dave asked.

"Yeah. Thanks for helping us out. Let's go!" Rose responded, and the four of them walked into the library.

* * *

After hours of research, Rose finally felt that they had a better idea of what they were dealing with, she wasn't exactly happy about it, but she was more informed about the whole thing than she was before. "Alright, let's go over everything we have found and start connecting the dots. Dave, you were in charge of researching Peixes Enterprise. Summarize what you found."

"So Peixes Enterprise deals in pretty much everything one could imagine, however, they are most known for buying companies to keep them from going bankrupt. They also take a lot of loans from the bank to complete what they label as 'secret projects'", Dave used air quotes when he said those two words. "No one except the CEO and her advisors know what those projects are called or what their intentions are. But one of the other major things I found is that the company seems very buddy-buddy with the police force."

The blonde girl nodded. "That's probably why Jack got out of jail so easily. I'm sure the 'anonymous figure' was just some accountant from the Peixes Enterprise every time he was in trouble. But why? Where were they getting all of this money?"

Karkat chimed in. "That was most likely due to the fact that Jack is apart of the Serket family, aka owner of the Serket Banking Corporation. Their primary function is to serve big businesses with banking and loans. They supply a lot of money for the police force when they need new equipment, but they also give many loans to some company with the abbreviation PixEnt. And I think we all know what name that stands for. So, it seems only natural that two big companies would band together to get a mutual out of a bad situation."

The raven answered. "That makes total sense. One of Jack's Ex wives was Candy Peixes, so the Peixes company would want to help out, I guess. Both her and Jack must have some sort of connection that transcends marriage. But what is it?"

"Well," Rose continued. "I did research on Candy, and didn't seem to find much on her and Jack, except that their marriage lasted only a short time, and that whole time was peppered with problems, all undisclosed. Otherwise, she has been the head of Peixes Enterprise for almost 10 years now. She succeeded her grandmother, who not only founded the company, but also Alternia High school in the mid 70's. Candy has not been a favored CEO, since she is often in the tabloids for attending risque parties and getting into trouble with her current husband, whoever it may be. She is currently married to her 4th husband, who runs a law firm. Hmm, kind of useful if you ask me."

Dave chimed in. "So, that might explain why Candy wanted Jack to stay out of jail. He is probably like her part time security guard or something from all the tabloids and what not. But what else does he have to do with all this?"

"That's what I found out." Kanaya responded. "Jack is in fact, still a member of his gang, the Midnight Crew. No one outside of the gang knows of his position, but he is rumored to be pretty high in the ranks, since many people say he knows the gang boss, whom few are have said to see. That would explain why he gets into so much trouble, but also why he could be seen as good protection."

"Well guys." Rose stood up, followed by everyone else. "We found out a lot today, and I think that answers some questions for me. Thank you all so much for helping me out. I really appreciate it."

"Yeah no prob sis. Happy to help out however we can." Dave fistbumped his half sibling and smiled. "Well, we are going to head out. What are you guys going to do?"

"Uh, I think I am going to drop off Kanaya back at my place then go run to the hospital." Rose responded. "See you guys later. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." She yelled back to the boys as they stopped by the front door and texted Dirk. She got in the car with Kanaya and drove to her house. "I will be back. I figured you could chill here for a bit."

Kanaya looked at her friend. "Are you sure you don't want me to go to the hospital with you?"

The other girl nodded. "Yeah I'm sure. Maybe next time."

The two parted ways and Rose drove back to the ever familiar hospital. She walked inside, talked to the lady at the front desk, and walked into her mom's room. Nothing had changed, except it perhaps smelled a little nicer, like lavender air freshener had been sprayed. She sat in the chair next to her mother's bed as the nurse came in.

"Oh, hello sweetie. I didn't expect to see you here. How are ya doing?" The young nurse asked.

Rose smiled. "I'm fine, thank you. Just thought I would check in. Anything new with her?"

The nurse gave her a sympathetic look. I'm afraid not, sweetie. But don't worry, she'll come around." She smiled, checked Roxy's vitals, then left again.

The blonde knelt beside her mother's bed. "Oh mom, I have so much to tell you. I wish you could help me out with this whole thing. It's so much to do." She teared up. "I miss you."

She sat there for a few more minutes before getting up. As she was about to leave, she heard a noise coming from the bed. She turned around to see Roxy stir. "I miss you too honey."

"Mom?" Rose said. "Mom! Is that you?" She knelt back next to her mom, who seemed to have fallen back into her sleep. Rose didn't care much though. "Oh mom. You're awake. At least, you will be. Oh this is great!" She exited the room to go find her mom's nurse.

* * *

Translations

 **Ma petite soeur. Vous savez Je t'aime, mais ne laissez pas vos sentiments votre jugement. Pensez logiquement** = My little sister. You know I love you, but do not let your feelings cloud your judgement. Think logically.

 **Je te déteste**. = I hate you.

 **A quelle heure allez-vous retourner?** = At what time will you return?

 **Je ne sais pas.** = I don't know.

 **So, I have a big headcanon that Porrim can speak near-fluent French. That's why I decided to include it in this chapter (And perhaps future chapters!) I hope that was a nice addition for some of you.**

 **Also, yay! Roxy's up. Or… sort of up.**

 **If you liked this story, or just want to say how cool I am (though I am actually a giant nerd), feel free to favorite, follow, or comment on this story.**

 **Until next time,**

 **~Jane**


	16. Chapter 16

**Back for another chapter! Although this is almost a week late, happy 4/13 everyone. 7 years running and it's over, huh? It was good while it lasted.**

 **I know you're probably thinking things are going slow, or that it's too much drama. These next few chapters are going to be a little less intense. Minor dramas, but a lot more fluff than anything. Just as a heads up. This also means a few of these next chapters may be shorter than usual. I just don't want to bore you with the details.**

 **Now, without further ado, here's chapter 16.**

 **DISCLAIMER: Homestuck may be over, but I still don't own it. The great and powerful Hussie does.**

Chapter 16

"Really? Oh man you can't be serious. Don't mess with me Rose." Dave conversed excitedly with his step-sister over the phone while sitting on his couch.

"It's true!" Rose exclaimed. "Mom really did wake up. I was getting ready to leave and I had told mom that I miss her, not thinking she would hear me, and she opened her eyes and said 'I miss you too'. Of course after that she went back to sleep, but I don't care. Mom's _awake_ Dave."

The boy jumped up and punched the air, extremely happy to hear the news. "This is great! Thank's for letting me know, sis. I'll tell Dirk now. Talk to you soon. Love you. Bye." He hung up the phone and sprinted to his brother's room, violently knocking on the door. "Dirk open up. I've got something amazing to tell you."

A muffled response could be heard through the door. "Not now little man. I'm really not in the mood for anything."

"Dude, you're gonna want to hear this, trust me." Dave reassured his brother.

"And I can guarantee you I don't care. Go away." Dirk retorted.

Dave sighed. "Bro, dude. Just listen to me. Mom's awake."

There was a brief moment of stillness, then footsteps on the other side of the door. Dirk opened his bedroom door, his expression very straight. "You serious?"

The younger of the two nodded. "Uh-huh. Just got off the phone with Rose. She was only awake for a few minutes, but bro," he grabbed his brother's arms. "She's awake. She's gonna be okay."

After taking a second to process this information, Dirk beamed and hugged his brother. "This is great. Oh man, we should drive to the hospital now. We should go visit her."

Dave untangled himself from his sibling's embrace. "Slow down man. As much as I would love to do that, she's probably asleep again. But, I'll make sure Rose tells me the next time she goes to visit, then we can go with her, alright?"

"Yeah. Yeah you're right. We'll go next time." Dirk said. He reached over and gave his brother a light tap on the shoulder. "Thanks little man. Now how about dinner?"

* * *

For the next few weeks, Rose, Dave and Dirk watched their mother slowly get better. She stayed awake long enough for them all to have a makeshift Thanksgiving dinner. A week later she stayed awake for most of the day. Another week passed and she almost never blacked out anymore. Rose couldn't have been happier.

"So you think they will let you go by Christmas break?" Rose asked her mother hopefully.

Roxy let out a small chuckle. "Yep that's the aim. It will be so nice to get out of this place. I miss you guys." She sat up and the two girls embraced for a minute. "Well, It's getting late, and I'm sure you have homework to do. I'll talk with you soon okay?"

"Aw, yeah, I suppose I should get going. Okay, I'll come by again within the next couple days." Rose stood up. "I love you mom."

"I love you too sweetie. Never forget that." Roxy responded before waving goodbye to her daughter.

Rose walked out of the room and to her car. She quickly drove home, eager to tell Kanaya the progress her mom had made. Once she got home, she practically bounded from the car to the front door, but immediately regretted it when she heard all the shouting.

"I'm so sick of you treating me like this Porrim! I'm sixteen, I'm not a little kid anymore!" Kanaya shouted at her sister.

"I understand that Kanaya, but that doesn't give you the right to do things like this! I mean, failing _three_ classes? You know better than that! What's gotten into you?" Porrim said, gesturing to the report card in her hand.

Rose creeped forward, standing next to the wall of the dining room, just out of sight of the other two.

"So I had a bad grading period. Everyone has those! I'll just make it up next time. Get off my back about it." The younger one responded.

The older sibling shook her head. "No. This isn't a 'bad grading period'. This is because you can't focus on your school work with all the galavanting you've done with Rose over the past few weeks! You can't see straight anymore because of her!"

Kanaya looked like she'd gotten a slap in the face. "Don't you dare talk about Rose like that. This is not her fault. You know, you've been like this for awhile."

"What do you mean 'like this'?" Porrim asked angrily.

"Ever since mom and dad died, you haven't been able to act like a caring sister to me! Just like an overprotective guardian. I hate it!" Kanaya yelled at her sister.

Porrim seemed taken aback by what her sibling just said. She just looked calmly at her sister. "Allez dans votre chambre maintenant."

Rose thought back to what Kanaya had told her about Porrim. _She only speaks to her in french if she's really upset with Kanaya. Oh man, this must be bad._

Kanaya didn't move from her spot, just shook slightly.

"Maintenant!" Porrim yelled, pointing her finger upstairs.

The younger sibling jumped, and immediately turn around and ran to her room with tears in her eyes. She didn't seem to notice Rose as she ran past. A door slammed a few moments later.

Fed up with all the shouting, Rose stepped out into the kitchen where Porrim could see her. She was getting ready to tell her off, until she and Porrim locked eyes, and the older of the two started to weep. Rose's expression softened.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said about you, Rose. I just don't know what to do with Kanaya anymore." She sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, putting her elbows on the table and her head in her hands.

The blond walked up to her temporary guardian and gave her a small hug. "Do you want me to go talk to her? I'm sure this is all just a big misunderstanding."

Porrim nodded, and Rose immediately walked to her friend's bedroom. She knocked on the door. "Kanaya? It's Rose, can I come in?" After hearing no response, Rose decided it was okay to step in. She carefully opened the door and saw Kanaya sitting in the middle of the floor, crying. "Hey…" She walked over to her friend and sat down next to her. "How're you doing?"

Immediately, Kanaya started to sob, and Rose embraced her friend, shushing her for awhile. Eventually, the sobbing calmed down, and the two detangled from each other. "Thanks." Kanaya said, then promptly sniffed.

"Don't mention it. Just… be a little nicer to your sister okay? She really is trying her best to take care of you. It's not easy." Rose said.

"Yeah, I know. I understand she's trying. Thank you." The raven smiled and gave her friend a kiss on the cheek.

The blond blushed. "So, I was actually meaning to talk to you anyway, so in a weird way this works. My mom is really starting to get better. It sounds like she'll definitely be out of the hospital by the end of this week. Just in time for Christmas."

Kanaya grinned. "That's fantastic, Rose! I'm so happy for you." She leaned in for another quick hug.

"Thanks. It will be so good to have her home again. I've loved being able to live here, but it would be nice to be at home with my mom like it use to be." Rose responded.

"I bet. Well, I suppose we should get to homework now, huh?" The raven asked, reluctantly.

The blond nodded. "Yes, but first I think you should go apologize to your sister."

"Yeah…" Kanaya said, getting up. "I'll be back in a minute." She left the room, and Rose smiled, knowing that things will be alright.

 **Translations**

 **Allez dans votre chambre maintenant** : Go to your room now.

 **Well, that signals pretty much the end of the hospital era… or is it only the beginning of something else? I'll see you in two weeks, when you'll hopefully find out. :)**

 **~Jane**


	17. Chapter 17

**Welcome back. So, if you don't remember, we left off last chapter with Roxy back and hoping to leave the hospital very soon, as well as some drama in the Maryam household. As I do realize that some people like fluff in the midst of all the chaos, this here chapter is going to be what I call the "mandatory christmas chapter" that you see in so many fanfictions. Make of that what you will.**

 **DISCLAIMER: Homestuck isn't mine, and that's fine… I suppose.**

Chapter 17

"Alright we're here!" Dirk exclaimed, parking his car in one of the hospital spots. "You guys excited?"

Rose could hardly contain her excitement. She had been thinking about this day for weeks. And with 5 days until Christmas, she couldn't be happier. "Super excited!" She and the Strider brothers got out of the car and walked inside.

Dirk sauntered up to the front desk with his usual gait. "Hello. We are here for Roxy Lalonde. She is suppose to be released from the hospital today." He gave the young man at the front desk a slight wink through his pointed shades.

The receptionist looked slightly flustered. "Uh… yes of course. You may go back there now."

Rolling her eyes, Rose answered. "Thank you, sir." She gripped the bag she had brought with a new set of clothes for her mother. _Nothing fancy, but I'm sure she will appreciate it after spending so long in gross hospital clothes._ The three approached the door. Rose drew in a breath and looked at her two step brothers before opening the door.

"Hello? Who is it?" Roxy's voice could be heard.

Hardly being able to contain her excitement, the young Lalonde slammed the door open and leapt towards her unsuspecting mother. "Mom!" She hugged her mother tightly. "It's so good to see you awake. I mean, I know I have been more and more recently, but like, seeing you awake and knowing you get to be home just seems even better somehow."

Roxy smiled. "Yes. I know what you mean. Now, let me breath just a bit." She chuckled.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Rose let go of her mother and looked at the two boys who were still standing by the door awkwardly. "Come on guys. Don't let me steal all the love."

Mom Lalonde opened her arms, and both Striders ran up and hugged her. Rose swore she heard some sniffling from them both, but decided not to give them a hard time about it. They had a right to cry.

"Ready to go home?" Dirk asked his step-mother after a few seconds.

Roxy nodded, but immediately looked down at her outfit. "Well, almost ready."

"Ah!" Rose exclaimed, remembering she had the bag. "Right. I have these for you. They aren't much, but I figured you wanted something comfortable." She held it out in her mother's direction.

The older Lalonde gladly took the clothes, went in the bathroom to change, and was out in a matter of minutes, donning the loose sweats and a tight but comfortable and thin long sleeve reading the words _I am the Void_ in sparkles. "Now I'm ready."

The four of them walked out to the front reception area carrying all of Roxy's belongings. They checked her out officially, then got into the car, their destination home. Rose shot Kanaya a quick text, then began to chat with her mother.

* * *

 _Finished._ Kanaya taped the final corner of the 'Welcome Home' banner and stepped down from the chair she was standing on. "'Rim, did you put the cats in one of the bedrooms?"

"Sure did." Porrim walked up to her sister and gave her a side-hug. "I'm so proud of you for doing this."

The younger Maryam smiled. "I figured it's the least I could do. Karkat, did you and Kankri finish making the sandwiches?"

The redhead walked out of the kitchen. "Yeah, just finished. I hope she actually likes these. I wouldn't want to waste all this food."

"Great. Thanks for helping with this guys." Kanaya told the other three. Just then, she felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out of her pocket, opening her messages.

 _Rose: Hey. Just got in the car. On our way home. You need us to take a detour?_

 _Kanaya: No, we are good. See you in a few._

Knowing it didn't take long for Dirk to drive everyone home, she called everyone else. "Alright guys. Dirk is driving home as we speak. Everyone, stand just below the sign. Oh! I almost forgot the flowers!" The young Maryam ran back into the kitchen to grab the flowers she so carefully picked out and arranged. _Purple Asters, pink Azaleas, and white Gardenias. Thank goodness Porrim use to be a florist. I would never know how to arrange flowers to send the right messages. Hopefully Roxy will like them nonetheless. She seems to like these colors anyway._

Suddenly, the door could be heard unlocking, and the four inside stood patiently in their places. Dirk was the first in the door, and he smiled when he saw what the house looked like. "Alright. We're home. Come on in mom." He opened the door wide enough for Roxy to step in.

"Welcome home Roxy." Karkat, Kankri, Kanaya, and Porrim said in unison.

The older Lalonde stopped in her tracks, clearly taking in all that was around her. She started to cry.

"Aw, mom." Rose embraced Roxy. "Don't cry, this is suppose to be a happy moment."

"Don't worry." Roxy sniffed. "These are tears of joy." The other three blondes had walked to where the Maryam's and Vantas' were standing. Roxy looked at them all together, smiling. "Thank you. This means so much to me."

Kanaya walked forward with the flowers in hand, handing them to Roxy and smiling. "I hope you like them. I figured you could use something to brighten up your house for a bit."

"Thank you Kanaya." The older Lalonde hugged the younger Maryam. "These are beautiful. So, since I had time to think about what to do for Christmas, I figured we could all do a sort of Secret Santa thing. Everyone has until Christmas Eve to buy their item or items. Nothing over, let's say,40 dollars. How about it?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Rose ran to the kitchen, coming back a few minutes later with a bowl, a piece of paper, and a pen. She proceeded to write something down and tear up the piece of paper, placing all the pieces in the bowl. "Okay. So everyone has to grab a piece of paper, one at a time. Check it and make sure you don't have your own name. If you do, pick another one, otherwise, that's your 'Santa Victim', for lack of a better name." The bowl was passed around, and everyone picked out their little slip of paper.

"Thanks again to all you guys. You really do mean a lot to me." Roxy pointed out once again.

"No problem, Ms. Lalonde. Please, do not hesitate to call me if you need anything." Kankri handed Roxy a business card looking item, which presumably contained his name and phone number on it. "Oh, by the way. Your sandwiches are in the kitchen. Karkat and I have to leave, but there are definitely enough for the rest of you."

Roxy giggled. "Thank you Kankri. I'll see you two later." She waved as they headed out of the door. "Are the rest of you staying for sandwiches?"

"Well, I think it would be nice to stay for a while." Dave responded. "I definitely don't want these sandwiches to go to waste." He said, chuckling.

The younger Lalonde laughed. "Of course. How honorable of you to sacrifice yourself to help us eat _all_ this food. Kanaya, will you two be staying?"

"Aw, unfortunately, no." Porrim answered for her sister. "I have a lot of grading to do. It may be Christmas vacation, but I've sort of been putting off my paper-grading. We will see you guys later, though."

Kanaya walked forward and gave Rose a hug. "I'll talk to you this week. I promise. See you whenever." They said their goodbyes and walked out the door. As they headed towards home, Kanaya contemplated what to get for her Secret Santa person.

* * *

The next few days were pretty tame for everyone. Rose and Roxy were putting up a few Christmas decorations, then going over to the Strider's apartment to help them, since they nearly set fire to the place doing it last year. Although Rose's life seemed to be getting back to normal, she still felt like she had so many questions in her life. _I'm still determined to find out more about Jack and why he targeted my mother. I don't yet know how Feferi and Vriska connect to the bigger picture, but I'm sure they do. But most importantly, what am I getting my Secret Santa person for Christmas?_

Rose was talking with Dave for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Come on Dave, please? I really don't know what to get for Ka-"

"Uh-uh! Absolutely not. I don't want to hear who you have for Secret Santa. That's not how it works. You'll just have to think of it on your own." The boy refused.

The girl sighed, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. "Ugh, fine. I should probably go now to do it, so I guess I'll see you later. If mom asks, tell her I'm out buying presents and I'll be back to pick her up later." She went down to the car and drove to the mall, thinking of possible ideas. _Well, I could get… no. I'm sure he won't even like that, much less wear it. Maybe just a… I don't think so. Possibly just a… wait, maybe that's too simple. I mean, gift cards are just a 'I didn't know what to get you so take this' gift isn't it? Ugh I don't know!_ She continued to think as she walked into the nearest store in the mall.

* * *

Kanaya put the last food item on the table and her Secret Santa gift under their tree. _Tonight is going to be so great. I am super excited._ Her sister had invited over the Strider brothers, the Vantas brothers, and the Lalonde family over for their traditional Christmas Eve dinner. They had the same meal every year: Roast leg of lamb, mint jelly, cauliflower smothered in a cheese sauce, roast potatoes, and Kanaya's favorite, pumpkin fritters. All that was different was that they made enough to feed a small army instead of just the two of them. "Wow 'Rim. You really know how to provide for the masses."

"I sure hope so. I've heard from Roxy that the Striders tend to eat like horses, so better more than less!" Porrim laughed, taking off her apron.

The doorbell rang, and Kanaya practically jumped towards the front door. She swung it open and smiled, seeing Dirk and Dave in some of the most typical ugly christmas sweaters a person could buy. "Hey Kanaya. Ooh what smells so good?" Dave queried.

Dirk smacked his brother on the back of the head. "Don't be rude little bro. Thanks for inviting us over, Kanaya."

"Oh no problem." The young raven smiled. "You guys can go ahead and put your gifts under the tree. We will open them once everyone has arrived."

Dave smiled, setting his gift under the decorated fake foliage. "Cool. I texted Karkat. He and Cranky should be here in a few minutes."

Kanaya smirked, giggling at the older redhead's nickname. "Make yourselves at home." She motioned to the couches as the doorbell rang again. "I'll get it." She walked over, opening the door again. Her smile grew even wider than it was before as she saw Rose and Roxy in some simple yet festive attire. "Hi Rose. You two look very nice. Come in." She blushed.

"Thanks Kanaya. You look good too." Rose motioned to Kanaya's green top, red skirt, and reindeer antler headband.

Clearly catching drift of where eyes would wander, Roxy interjected. "Where should we put our gifts Kanaya?"

The raven snapped out of her daze. "Huh? Oh right! Just under the tree. We will open them as soon as the two Vantas brothers show up."

"Thank you. Sounds good." Roxy walked towards the tree, setting her carefully wrapped gift under it. "My, the food smells amazing. Porrim, you are quite the cook if I do say so myself. I may have to get your recipes sometime. Not that I cook very much at home…"

The older Maryam chuckled. "Yeah I understand. I would love to give you some of the recipes. I don't cook very much, but when I do, I go all out, as you probably noticed."

Kanaya smiled. _I hope Porrim and Roxy become friends. It would be good for Rim to have someone to be close to._ Her admiring of a potential budding friendship was cut short by the doorbell ringing once again. "I'll get it!" She walked to the door, opening it to find two redheads, one with an annoyed expression, and the other one with a concerned expression.

"I am so sorry we are late. I tried to leave on time, but I had to lecture Karkat on something, so it took longer than we expected. Sorry to cause you any trouble." Kankri apologized.

The raven gave a nervous smile. "No, Kankri, it's fine. Actually, you're almost perfectly on time. It's only 6 pm now."

Kankri gave a small sigh. "Well, as I say, early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable. Anyway, where shall we put our presents?"

"Ah, yes. Well, you might as well hold on to them. Since everyone is here now, we can start with the Secret Santa things." Kanaya stepped aside, motioning them inside. "Alright, everyone's here. Should we start with the presents?"

Everyone grabbed their gifts and made their way to the living room, sitting in various chairs. Kanaya stood in the middle of the room. "Okay, let me explain how this works. I am going to hand my gift to my person, who will then open the gift. Then, that person will hand their gift off, and so on and so forth. I'll start. Kankri." She thrust her gift out towards him. "Merry Christmas."

Kankri gave a small smile. "Well, that is quite nice of you, but I would like to point out that some people may be triggered by the words 'Merry Christmas'. Even though the holiday derived from a religious background, not all people are religious, so that phrase may be offensive to-"

"Come on Kanny. Just take the gift and say thank you." Porrim pleaded. "No one wants to hear a lecture right now."

"Ugh. Alright." The copper-haired man gently took the gift from Kanaya's hands. "Thank you Kanaya." He unwrapped it, revealing a book titled _The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy: Hogwarts for Muggles_. He looked it over for a second before grinning. "Thank you so much. I do enjoy good philosophy books." He set the gift aside. "Well, I suppose it is my turn now."

And so it continued, everyone getting wonderful presents, filled with thought. After everyone was done, they made their way to the dinner table, where everyone ate happily and engaged in frivolous conversation.

* * *

It was mid morning Christmas day, and Dave was sleeping soundly in his bed. Well, that was until he suddenly felt a pair of soft lips placed carefully against his own. He awoke, reaching for his shades before opening his eyes, seeing his boyfriend hovering over him, holding a piece of mistletoe.

"Well well, the sleeping beauty awakens. Though, judging by your appearance, more like I've awoken the sleeping dragon." Karkat smirked.

Dave grumbled. "Dude. Not cool. And besides, I would make a banging dragon, just so you know. Why are you holding mistletoe?"

The redhead blushed, throwing the festive greens away from him. "Uh… no reason."

"You know you don't need mistletoe to get a cheap little kiss." The blonde smirked, wrapping his arms around the other and pressing their lips together. The two melded together as one, lips moving in perfect unison.

All too soon, the kiss was broken, and Karkat smiled. "Yeah I know. But… 'tis the season?"

Dave rolled his eyes, smirking. "Sure. Let's go to the living room, before Mr. Crankypants freaks out or lectures us about something."

"Aw come on." Karkat chided. "I know my brother can be uptight, but at least try to be nice. He means well."

The blonde paused for a second. "Oh alright. But only because it's Christmas." He gave Karkat another peck on the lips before heading with him to the living room.

 **I thought I would put what the flowers mean, since it may make more sense. This may not be the only time I do this, but who knows?**

 **Asters** = Happiness

 **Azaleas** = Good health

 **Gardenias** = Joy

 **The book I mentioned is also not mine, though it sounds really cool. I have to thank Roxy for telling me about it. There are many more if you want to check them out. The website is . Obviously take out the spaces and replace the word dot with a period.**

 **Comment, review, follow, favorite, and PM maybe?**

 **~Jane**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey howdy hey! Back for another chapter! This chapter is probably going to be slightly different than chapters previous. It's hard to explain without spoiling things, so you'll see what I mean hopefully.**

 **DISCLAIMER: This is the stuff of which I own none of. It is all Andrew Hussie's Homestuck.**

Chapter 18

"Hey little dude, you got those drinks out yet?" Dirk asked his brother while picking up the last throw blanket and shoving it in his hallway closet.

"Yep. Just finished." Dave set down the last of the alcohols and apple juices. "I told Rose, Kanaya, and Karkat that they should arrive around 9:30, just cause I didn't want too much awkward standing around."

 _This kid is smarter than he looks. I'll have to give him credit for it sometime_. Dirk thought to himself and smirked. He walked into the kitchen, admiring the plethora of junk food and drinks laid out for the New Year's Eve festivities. "Alright. Looks good. Thanks for helping out Dave." He gave his brother a pat on the head, to which Dave ducked away from. "So," He said, trying to initiate some form of conversation with his sibling.

"Yeah? What's up?" The younger Strider asked while parking his body on the couch.

Dirk shortly followed, sitting on their old lazy-boy. "Any plans for tonight? You know, this will be the first year you have someone to spend New Year's with?"

Dave seemed to ponder this for a second. "Uh… Not really. I guess I hadn't thought about it. Karks and I don't really need to do anything special. I mean, maybe the dumb little kiss-at-midnight thing, but nothing much else…" He paused, changing his face to a confused expression. "Why do you ask? You've never cared much about my love life."

 _Oh geez. Here we go again._ Dirk hated when his brother played the 'you don't really care about me' stuff. "Look. I do care. I just have a funny way of showing it. Besides, I'm just curious is all…"

The younger blond looked at him and smiled. "Ohhh I see what this is about. You don't know what to do with your evening since you won't have your boyfriend to celebrate it with."

They sandy-haired man blushed and looked away. _Damn, this is just further proving his point._ "Well, what can I say? I haven't seen him since August! That's a long time. I mean, I know it's for his work, but why did he have to go work in England?" He put his head in his hands, trying to fight back his tears.

Dave sighed. "Bro, look. I know you don't like the situation as it is, but he was so excited to take the offer. I'm sure he won't be gone for too much longer. I know they said a year, but who knows? Stranger things have happened. Well, the others will probably be here any minute now, so we should probably go change. We'll talk about this later, okay?"

"Yeah whatever." Dirk sniffed, wiping his eyes under his shades and standing up, heading to his room to change and try to focus on the party.

* * *

Grabbing the bags near her feet, Rose stepped out of the car. She walked around to the front to meet her mom, who was dressed in a flashy pink one-shoulder top and tight jeans. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Roxy responded, and the two began the trek up to the Strider apartment.

As they got on the elevator, Rose turned to her mother. "Hey, mom?"

The older Lalonde turned to face her daughter. "Yes? What is it sweetie?"

' _Sweetie?' Geez, ever since she got home from the hospital she's done this, acting really nice to me. Though, I suppose I can't blame her. She was probably even more scared than I was that we weren't going to see each other again._ "So, I know that this party is suppose to be a lot of fun, but I also want you to stay safe. Can you just promise me that you won't drink? I just really don't want the risk of losing you again."

The elevator dinged, signaling them to get out. They both stepped out and continued down the hallway. "Oh Rose." Roxy sighed. "You're turning into such a good person. Such a strong woman. Thank you for looking out for me. Yes, I promise I won't. I wouldn't dream of it for a while now."

The younger of the two smiled. "Thanks mom. That means a lot." She stopped and gave her mother a hug.

"As long as," Roxy continued as they finished their embrace. "You don't either. Well, no getting drunk, because frankly I don't think I can fully stop you. Yes I know that you like alcohol as much as your poor mother. And trust me, you don't act nice when you're drunk."

Rose rolled her eyes, but secretly thanked her. "Yes mother. I promise I won't get drunk." _Well, at least Kanaya will be satisfied._ With that, they stopped in front of the Strider apartment, which was widely decorated with streamers and colored paper, and stepped in.

* * *

"Hi Dave. Thanks for inviting us!" Kanaya said, walking through the door holding a few bags of chips. "Hey Dirk."

Porrim followed in behind her, lugging what Kanaya considered a few too many packs of various alcohols. "Dirk, do you mind giving me a hand with these?"

"Sure thing." The blonde grabbed a few bottles and set them on the table. "Alright. Everyone's here." He grabbed a bottle from the table. "Let's get this party started!" He exclaimed, popping off the first cork.

It didn't take long for Kanaya to see everyone in various states of intoxication. She had decided against partaking in the drinking of alcohol after so many bad memories with her sister. She looked around her, surveying the slight chaos. _Well, I would say the worst of us all would have to be Porrim, of course, although Dirk isn't too far behind. He'll give her a run for her money. Of course Dave convinced Karkat to drink too, although neither of them look too terribly far gone. Probably just a bit tipsy. Let's see, Rose is… Oh dear. It seems Rose has found the alcohol and taken it to her liking. Well, I suppose she isn't drunk, so technically she isn't breaking her promise to me._ She sighed, glancing over to the last member of the party.

Roxy was sitting in the lazy boy recliner, eating straight from a bag of chips. She took notice of Kanaya staring at her and smiled. "Not much for alcohol are you?"

The raven moved over to the seat next to the older Lalonde. "No, but only because of bad experience. I don't mean to be rude, but why aren't you drinking anything? I figured you would have taken this opportunity to celebrate leaving the hospital and such."

"Well, yes, I usually would. But, two things stopped me. One, recently getting out of a situation that involved me being a bit too drunk leaves a bitter taste in my mouth just thinking about alcohol." Roxy sighed. "And the second is because I promised Rose I wouldn't. Now, she also promised me she wouldn't get drunk, but I suppose she isn't yet…"

The younger girl chuckled. "Yes, you're right. I was just thinking the same thing." She glanced at the television, which was streaming the Times Square New Year's Eve party. Fireworks were going off and music was playing, but it didn't excite Kanaya all that much.

Suddenly, she heard a drink slam down on the table, and turned around to find Dirk raising his hand. "Hey everyone. I has an idea." His speech was very slurred. "Why don't we have a little contest. Who can do the most push ups without…" He took another sip of his beer. "Without falling over. Anyone in?"

Several incoherent words of agreement were said, and everyone but Roxy and Kanaya made their way to the living room, where a space big enough to use was available. _This could be fun to watch_. Kanaya decided to turn around in her seat so she could get a view of what was about to unfold.

Dirk went first, presumably to show off his 'manliness'. He got down on his hands and into the push up position. He managed to go up and down about three times before collapsing flat on the floor. Everyone burst out laughing, and Dirk struggled back to his feet and grumbled.

Next was Porrim, who Kanaya was pretty sure shouldn't be doing push ups in such a low-cut dress, but honestly, no one will remember anything tomorrow, so who cares? She was even worse than Dirk, only managing about one good one and a half push up before her hands slipped out from under her and she landed on her chest. Once again, everyone was cackling, and Porrim was laughing so hard it took a good five minutes before she even managed to get back on her feet.

Because Karkat knew he wasn't good at push ups, he instead positioned himself under Dave, so that every time he went down he was rewarded with a peck on the lips. Being less drunk than the two adults, he managed about seven push ups before collapsing on top of his boyfriend, throwing them into laughing fits.

"Get a room you two!" Kanaya shouted as she laughed. _I don't know the last time I saw Dave do any physical activity. Well, more than his fingers from playing video games._

Lastly, Rose decided to stumble out. She looked at Kanaya, giving her arms a quick flex and flashing a grin before getting down on the ground. She only managed about four weak push ups before she rolled onto the floor, giggling like a little school girl. By this point, everyone was laughing until they cried. Genuine belly laughing. Rose got off the floor and brushed herself off, walking towards Kanaya. "So," she giggled. "How'd I do?"

 _Her breath definitely smells like alcohol. Well, nothing I can do now._ "You did wonderful Rose. Good job." The raven smiled. _If I can't keep her sober, then I can at least keep her behaving nicely_.

"Hey everyone. It's about 10 minutes to midnight!" Roxy announced as she sat in front of the television.

The younger Lalonde perked up. "Midnight? Already? Okay then."

Before she knew it, Kanaya found herself with her lips locked with Rose's. The blonde's lips tasted like alcohol, and although Kanaya hated the thought of it, it didn't taste all that bad like this. Their lips melted together, the raven savoring every moment. The blonde grabbed onto Kanaya's shirt, pulling her even closer, their upper bodies now with no space between them. The raven was loving every second of it. Well, until she realized where she was. _Oh God. Roxy's watching. She's probably so concerned. She probably hates me now._

With that, Kanaya pushed herself away from the tipsy Rose, who stumbled backwards, grinning. Kanaya looked over at Roxy, who glanced in the young Maryam's direction and smiled and winked before turning her attention back to the television. Kanaya groaned, knowing how much she has probably embarrassed herself.

* * *

As he looked around and noticed everyone having fun, eyes glued to the tv as midnight approached, realization suddenly hit Dirk. Even in his drunken state, he sulked around the party, deciding to sit on the couch, hands holding his head. _This is just great. Everyone is having fun, and all I can think about is Jake. God I miss him_. _I wish I could see him, if only for a moment._ He sniffed, trying to keep his tears back as he took another swig of his beer.

With only about 2 minutes to midnight and Dirk just wanting to go to sleep, his younger brother came up to him, holding some sort of square shaped object. Or three square shaped objects, Dirk couldn't really tell.

"Hey, Dirk." The younger Strider came up to him. "I have something for you."

The sandy-haired man attempted to swat his brother away, only to have his hand glide through the air. "I don't want anything. My evening is fine just as it is. Let me be sad in peace."

Dave came closer, still gripping the square object. "No, dude. You're gonna wanna see this. Trust me. It's worth it." He shoved the square-ish, rectangle-ish object out towards his brother.

Reluctantly, Dirk grabbed the object, which revealed a smiling face adorned with glasses. "Hey chum. It's been awhile hasn't it?" A british voice spoke on the other end.

"Jake?" Dirk rubbed his eyes, making sure it wasn't a drunken haze he was seeing. "Is that really you? I mean it sounds like you, but I can't really tell."

The tan man gave a chuckle. "Yes, it's indeed me Dirk. I figured we have spent the past three New Year's together, this one should be no different, even if I can't be there physically, and it's technically tomorrow here."

The older Strider smiled, wiping away a tear. "It really is you. You're seeing me in such a bad state, huh?"

"It's expected, honestly." Jake sighed. "Well, I can't talk long. This connection is bloody terrible. I just wanted to say this: I love you Dirk. Don't forget that. No matter what happens, or how long I am gone, I love you. I don't know how much longer I'll be there, but you'll be the first to know of my return. But for now, goodnight my sweet prince, and happy New Years."

The clock struck midnight, and everyone was cheering, but Dirk wasn't paying attention to any of it. "I love you too Jake. I'll talk to you soon. I promise."

Without another word, the connection cut out.

 **For those of you who didn't understand (which makes sense since I did a poor job of explaining it) Jake works as a wildlife preservationist, and took a job working near his hometown in England for a few months. He doesn't have much chance to video chat or anything like that due to bad connections, so he and Dirk attempt to make do with phone calls.**

 **Also, I know the time jumps in this were a little weird, but I kinda wanted a get-to-the-point chapter that was a little bit shorter.**

 **Otherwise, I hope the rest of the chapter was enjoyable to you. See you soon.**

 **~Jane**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey everyone! Back for more I see.**

 **Not much to talk about now, except for this: expect a lot to happen in the next two chapters.**

 **Stuff's gonna go down.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of this stuff called Homestuck which is actually owned by Andrew Hussie**

Chapter 19

"Are you excited for Valentine's day, Rose?" The raven asked her friend as they proceeded out of their last period class and headed home together to work on a French project.

The blonde shrugged. "Eh. I'm not sure. I mean, I usually only get things for my friends, and to me Valentine's day is an overrated holiday corporations use to make more money off of flowers, chocolates, and teddy bears." She shifted her bag on her shoulder. "I like going the next day and buying all the candy on discount."

 _Well, that's good to know I guess. I won't go out of my way buying chocolates before Friday if she's just going to buy them cheaper. I'll use that money to buy her something more meaningful I suppose._ Kanaya started running through a list of possible things to buy for her friend when she was suddenly stopped by their friend Jade jumping in front of the two girls.

"Hey Rose, Kanaya! How are you guys?" The perky dark haired girl asked.

Kanaya smiled. "Fine, thanks. What's that you have in your hand?"

"Oh this?" Jade asked, raising the paper that was held in her one hand. "This is actually for Rose. A person I know asked if I would give it to you." She thrust it out in Rose's direction.

The blonde cautiously took the offer. "Thanks. Um… why did _you_ give it to me though. Not that I don't think you're cool, but why not the person who gave you this letter."

The girl's eyes got big behind her glasses. "Uh, they just didn't want to speak to you in person or something. I don't know. Oh look at that, I've got to go home. See ya later." She waved and scurried off.

 _That was weird. It's probably nothing._ The raven thought to herself. "Shall we continue home?"

"Yeah…" Rose said absentmindedly. "I guess we'll just read this when we get back to your place if that's alright with you."

Kanaya nodded, and the girls walked faster than usual home, not waiting long to open the letter written on a pastel purple sheet of paper.

The blonde cleared her throat and began to read aloud. "My dearest Rose. While you may not know me very well, I am quite familiar with you. I see you everyday and long to get closer to you. Even if you don't realize, we share many similar interests, so I think that we would get along great. But this letter is about being more than just friends. Rose Lalonde, I would like to take you on a date. More so, I would like you to be my Valentine. I will be awaiting your response tomorrow morning in the courtyard before school. Signed, Eridan Ampora."

The raven just stared blankly at the page filled with messy handwriting, not sure what to say.

"Well," Rose started. "That is… something."

 _Something? What do you mean something? Who does this 'Eridan' think he is? He probably doesn't know Rose at all. You know what? That's it. This is probably just a bet. I mean, it couldn't be real because no one has been through the stuff we have in the past few months. No one has seen more lows, been in more tragedy, and no one has kissed Rose more than I have. No one is allowed to have my Rose, only…_ Kanaya stopped her thoughts, realizing what she was saying. _My Rose? She's just a friend. I mean, not that I deny having kissed her, several times. Or having loved and savored every single kiss her sweet lips have shared with mine, but that's entirely beside the point! Right?_

"Kanaya? Something wrong?" The blonde looked at her with a concerned look.

The raven snapped out of her own thoughts. "Huh? Oh right. I'm fine. Just spaced out is all. Who is this Eridan guy anyway? He a friend of yours?"

Rose snorted. "Hardly. He's a freshman that I've seen poking his head around school a few times. He's a total nerd, and has no problem spoiling things for people. Like, once, he told me the ending to a show that I hadn't finished yet. I was so mad, but he didn't seem to catch on to how mad I was. Anyway, he follows Feferi around like a puppy dog, for what reason I don't really know."

"So, you aren't really surprised by this letter?" Kanaya asked, hoping she knew the answer.

The other girl shook her head. "No. Well, not totally. I knew he had a crush on me, I just never thought he would have the guts to say anything about it. Not to me at least. It's fine. I'll just tell him I'm not interested. He's annoying and I don't want to date someone who is one, a freshman, and two, a guy. That's not totally my style. I'm not against dating guys personally, I just see myself having more of a future with a girl is all."

Kanaya cheers internally, knowing that she still had a chance with Rose. _Not that we would date anyway. We're just friends after all._ "Cool. Anyway, we should probably start on that French project, huh?"

"Yeah totally. Let's go get started." The blonde agreed, and the two pulled out their spirals and began working.

* * *

The next day rolled around, and Rose was more than ready. "I'm just gonna let him down easy. He may be annoying, but he's just a kid. He doesn't deserve to have his heart broken like mine has been." She explained to Kanaya.

The two girls walked to one of the school courtyard planters, where a freshman was standing. He had big glasses perched on his nose, medium brown hair with one purple streak in it, and porcelain skin covered in freckles. He wore blue and purple striped pants, a scarf that matched, and a simple black t-shirt. He perked up when he saw the girls walking his way. "H-hi Rose. Did you get my letter?"

"Hello Eridan." Rose said, trying to keep the disgust out of her voice. "I did get your letter. So, as it stated in the letter, I'm here to give you my response."

The boy grinned, clearly bracing for something spectacular. "Oh yes? And what would that be?"

The blonde sighed. "Okay. So, here's the thing. You have to understand that you're a freshman and I'm a Junior. We are very different people in that respect." Seeing how the boy's face suddenly drooped, Rose changed her tone. "However, I also understand that we have a lot of similar interests, so that's cool. You're a sweet boy, Eridan. I think that this is a very nice letter you wrote, and-"

Rose's rambling was cut off by Kanaya grabbing on to one of her hands and intertwining their fingers, making it visible for Eridan to see.

 _Damn Kanaya. I said I didn't want to break his heart. That would surely do it._ Rose sighed. "Look, Eridan. I think that this letter is very sweet, but I'm not sure it-"

"You don't like me that way, do you?" The freshman sighed. "It's okay. I get it. I can tell that your heart has been previously dedicated to another. I'll just go then. Thanks for reading it and being such a cool person, Rose. Have a nice day." Eridan gave a weak smile, turning the other direction and sulking away.

Rose turned around to Kanaya, letting go of her hand. "Kanaya. That wasn't nice. I know you were probably just trying to help, but the poor kid looks so hurt. I didn't want to do that to him."

"I understand Rose, but you weren't going to let him down, you were going to lead him on, making him think he stood a chance. He never did, did he?" Kanaya asked as the two started to walk to their first classes.

The blonde sighed. "No he didn't, but that doesn't mean he deserved that." _However, I'm not totally sorry. I didn't really want to tell him no, just because I can't stand seeing people unhappy. But he is really annoying, so it's not like I would have dated him or anything. What's done is done. I suppose it wasn't the worst thing in the world. I mean, Kanaya did hold my hand and get_ really _jealous and protective of me. That's kind of a nice feeling, not gonna lie._

* * *

"And so he just left? No questions asked?" Dave asked after being relayed to a whole story about what had taken place for Rose and Kanaya in the morning.

Kanaya nodded. "Yeah pretty much. Though I think he wouldn't have left had I not decided to look super clingy."

The Strider chuckled. "Kanaya, that is probably one of the worst things ever. That kid was so upset because of what you did. I'm proud of you give me five." He held his hand up, to which Kanaya gave him a high five.

"So how's Karkat doing?" The Lalonde asked, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Not bad." Dave answered. "He said he managed to eat some food, which is progress. Now it's just a matter of whether or not he can hold it down. Poor thing. I wish I could leave and go take care of him."

The two girls looked at each other, smirked, then back at Dave. "What?" Dave asked.

"Nothing." Rose responded. "It's just hella cute that you love taking care of your _boyfriend_. Speaking of which, what are you gonna do for Valentine's day?"

"Actually, I meant to ask you guys about that." The boy responded. "I have no idea what to do. I haven't really ever been in a relationship before, so I don't really know what I'm suppose to make or do or buy for Valentine's."

"Just do something he enjoys." Kanaya offered. "Look, he likes rom-coms right? Do something related to that. If it makes him happy, and you're there, he'll love it. I'm sure."

The boy smiled. "You're right. Thanks guys." As he finished his sentence, the bell rang. "Well, I'll talk to you guys later, alright? See ya." He picked up his bag and headed to class."

* * *

 _He's so cute when he's sleeping. I should probably leave him alone._ Dave looked at his boyfriend, who he had been taking care of all afternoon, and then left the room. He sat on the couch and pulled out his phone.

 _Dave: hey rose_

Not even a minute had passed before he got a reply.

 _Rose: Hey Dave. How's Karkat doing?_

 _Dave: better. right now hes sleeping, but hes managed to keep all of his food down so far and his fever is gone_

 _Rose: Oh that's good. I'm glad to hear that._

 _Dave: yeah… oh i never asked you. are you going to do anything for valentines like hand things out to your friends? or even confess your love to someone…?_

 _Rose: … Yes alright Dave you caught me. I actually am going to do something special for Valentine's day. Something big._

 _Dave: alright! what is it?_

 _Rose: Okay so this is quite an elaborate plan, so I'm going to need you, Karkat, and John to help me out, cause this Valentine's is going to be one to remember._

 **Before you ask, no, I personally do not ship Eridan x Rose. If you do, cool, but I don't (hence me writing a Rosemary fic). The reason I decided to include that whole thing was because it was loosely based off of a personal experience me and my friend have had over the past couple of months. And it adds a little bit of comedy into the romance (but that's just my opinion).**

 **Anyway, as always, fav, follow, comment, recommend, etc.**

 **Toodles**

 **~Jane**


	20. Chapter 20

**This is it. Stuff's gonna happen. This chapter will be one to remember.**

 **Be prepared.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of this Homestuck stuff**

Chapter 20

 _Man. I can't believe I got a 50 on that Algebra 2 test. That stuff was suppose to be easy! Or at least, that's what Mr. H said. Ugh I'm gonna have to explain this to Kankri aren't I. I'm going to be in so much trouble for this… Just another thing to add on the list of 'bad stuff that happened today' on top of the usual bullying, and the fact that I haven't seen Dave at all today. Where's a boyfriend when you need one…_

Karkat thought about all of this as he walked home from school alone. It was the Thursday before Valentine's day, however getting something for Dave was the last thing on his mind. He knew he had to help Rose with her stuff the next day, and that he definitely has to do something with his boyfriend, but he was so anxious about what his older brother would say when he found this bad math grade.

He arrived at his apartment, opening the door and finding the surroundings quiet. "Oh thank God he's not home yet." He carefully set his stuff down, heading to his room and locking the door. The redhead slid his back down the door, putting his head in his hands. Tears began to streak his face. "I just don't know what to do anymore. This is all too much for me." He sobbed, alone in his room, thankful no one is around to hear him.

No more than five minutes later, he feels his phone buzz in his pocket. _Great. It's probably Kankri saying he'll be home soon._ He pulled out his phone to find Dave was the one who had sent the text. Karkat opened up the message.

 _Dave: hey dude come over to my apartment now._

The redhead rolled his eyes in frustration, then began to shoot a response.

 _Karkat: OH YEAH? WHY SHOULD I? YOU HAVEN'T BEEN THERE FOR ME ALL DAY AND I'M JUST SUPPOSE TO DROP EVERYTHING AND RUN TO YOU WHEN YOU CALL?_

 _Dave: karks just come over here now believe me this is important_

Karkat thought about this for a minute, then sighed, standing up and wiping his tears. _Let's go see what the needy boy wants I suppose. I can wait until later to worry about my own problems, I guess. His_ clearly _are more important_.

The smaller boy made his way down a few floors to the Strider apartment. He pounded on the door a few times. "Strider! Hey Strider what do you want?" He waited a few minutes, but no answer came, and the door remained closed. _I guess it's times like these that a key to his place is useful_. He dug the key out of his pocket and shoved it in the lock, opened the door, and slammed it behind him. "Dave Strider! What could possibly be so important that-" He stopped himself once he noticed what laid out in front of him.

There was a paper on the floor, with a few words scrawled on it. Karkat picked it up and read it. "Romance is cheesy…" _What the heck is going on?_ He looked on the floor and saw red rose petals leading in a line down the hallway. He followed them to another paper. "So I'll cut all the frill…" Karkat read. "Strider. What's this about?" As annoyed as he was, he decided to play along. He kept following the rose petals, and picked up a third note. "Do you just wanna…" The rose petal trail continued, ending in front of Dave's door. _I should probably open it, but I don't get what's happening._

Reluctantly, Karkat put his hand on the doorknob slowly turning it, and staring in slight shock at the scene before him. In the room lay more rose petals, leading up to a heap of them on Dave's bed. Also on the bed was the blonde himself, laying on his side in a 'paint-me-like-one-of-your-french-girls' style, and next to him, an open box of pizza with the words 'Pizza and Chill?' written on the lid.

"Dave…" The redhead walked in, still utterly confused. "Will you please tell me what's going on?"

The taller boy sat up on his bed, careful not to disturb anything on it. "Well, I figured since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and we will probably be busy helping out Rose, why not just celebrate a little early? I know you've had a rough week, so I thought a nice relaxing evening alone might be nice."

Karkat didn't know what to say. "This is…" Tears started to well up in his eyes again. "This is so nice of you, Dave." He buried his head in his hands. He heard a slight creak from the bed, then felt a pair of arms wrap around him.

"Shhhh. It's okay. Don't cry, dude. I was trying to make your week better, not make you cry more." Dave put his chin on Karkat's head, standing there for a minute until Karkat's body stopped shaking so much.

"Thanks." The redhead sniffed. "Sorry I'm such a mess. I don't know how you put up with me honestly."

"Karks, look at me." The blonde grabbed his boyfriend's face in his hands. "I don't 'put up' with you. I love you to the ends of the earth. I would travel great distances to make sure I could see you happy every day. Sure, things are gonna happen, but there isn't anything that can't be solved if we're together, alright?"

Karkat smiled, wrapping his arms around the taller boy's neck. "Thank you Dave. I love you too." He pulled Dave in for a kiss. It was soft, but passionate. Their lips fit perfectly together. Karkat smiled into the kiss, then pulled away. "So… About that pizza…"

Dave chuckled. "I knew that was on your mind still. Well, what's a pizza without a movie? How does the Princess Bride sound?"

"That sounds fantastic. Thanks, love." The two made their way to Dave's bed, where they cuddled up, played the movie, and ate pizza together.

* * *

It was Friday. It was also, as Dirk tried to forget, Valentine's Day. _This will be the first year in a long time that I don't spend today with Jake…_ The older Strider tried to put that out of his mind as he sat in the empty apartment working on his laptop, Lil' Cal by his side. It was hard for him to get any work done, because he kept thinking of the New Year's Eve party and how he got to see Jake, even if only through crappy video chat.

 _He said no matter what happens, he loves me. What does he mean by that? That sounds like a freaking goodbye, like he will never see me again. I hope he isn't going to do something dangerous. God, I just want him home. I miss him so much._ Dirk thought to himself. He turned to Lil' Cal. "Hey Cal, at least I have you, right?" The puppet did not respond, as Dirk expected.

A few more minutes of being unproductive passed, and suddenly Dirk heard the doorknob jiggle. Heart pounding, he slowly put his laptop down, and made his way to his bedroom, grabbing his katana. He creeped back to the living room, where the doorknob was still jiggling. He stood poised to attack as the door opened, then he froze, seeing what was in front of him.

A man, adorned with tennis shoes, tube socks, shorts that were, by any man's definition, too short, and a green shirt stood in the doorway, carrying two or three luggage bags. His skin was tanned, making his smile that much whiter and brighter. "Hey ol' chap." He spoke, british accent clear as day.

The Strider stood there in disbelief. He dropped his katana, which clanged against the wooden floor."J-Jake? This… this must be a dream."

Slowly, the british man walked forward, setting his bags down, closing the door behind him, and giving his boyfriend a hug. "This isn't a dream." He whispered. "It's really me, Dirk."

"How… are you here? You weren't suppose to be home for another few _months_. Did something happen? Oh no, were you fired?" Dirk asked, concern growing in his voice.

Jake laughed. "No, no nothing like that. I finally convinced the people back at the wildlife preservation to let me come visit you for two weeks. We have spent the last three Valentine's days together, I didn't think this one should be any different."

Dirk was overwhelmed. "This is fantastic!" He pulled his boyfriend in for a kiss, their lips practically crashing together. Their lips fit together perfectly, the kiss filled with longing and sweetness and desire. However, it ended too soon, at least in Dirk's opinion. The looked into each other's eyes and smiled. "Happy Valentine's Day Jake. I love you."

"Happy Valentine's Day. I love you too, Dirk." Jake responded, grinning ear to ear. "Well, I also have presents for you. I figured a trip home deserved some british candies, don't you think?"

The blonde chuckled. "Oh yeah? Do we get to sample them together?"

The brunette considered this for a moment. "Yes I suppose so, but only if we get to feed them to each other."

"Dude, that's cheesy and romantic." Dirk responded. "I love it. What have you brought this time?" He asked as they brought Jake's bags into their bedroom to unpack.

* * *

 _Thank goodness it's the end of the day._ Kanaya thought as she made a beeline for Rose's last class. She was so sick of all the Valentine's Day bears and chocolates and flowers and kisses. There were too many things she didn't want to think about today and those were most of them.

She stood outside of Rose's class for about ten minutes before realizing Rose wasn't actually in said classroom. Kanaya took out her phone.

 _Kanaya: Hey Where Are You? I Am Outside Your Classroom, But You Aren't There. I'm Starting To Think You're Avoiding Me…_

After another few minutes with no response, the raven gave up and began her trek home by herself. _She didn't walk with me this morning, she didn't sit with me at lunch, and now she won't walk home with me? What have I done to deserve this? Did I offend her in any way?_ On her way through the hallway and down the stairs, she noticed maybe a dozen couples lingering about, kissing or cuddling or something of the like. _Ugh. Gross. Don't people have any respect anymore?_

Kanaya made her way to the main hallway that led out to the courtyard, and she saw John, smiling and holding a sign. "I'm usually bad with words…" She paused for a second. "John, what's this about?"

"Just keep walking, Kanaya. Trust me." John responded.

Taking a deep breath, the girl continued. She made her way to the doors leading to the courtyard, where Karkat was standing with another sign. "So instead, read this sign." Kanaya read out. "Alright then… I should probably keep going, huh?"

The short redhead nodded. "Yeah. It's totally worth it."

Kanaya opened the door to the courtyard and saw Dave standing there, holding a third sign. "I've loved you since day one…" The raven began to tear up. "If this is some kind of joke, it isn't funny anymore. Dave, what's going on?"

"Kanaya. I wouldn't lie to you. Just keep going. You'll be happy with this, I swear." Dave looked at her, and she felt like she had every reason to believe him. She didn't know why, but she fully trusted him.

The Maryam nodded, and kept walking, throwing her hands over her mouth as soon as she saw Rose standing in the middle of the courtyard, a sign propped up against her legs, a single red rose in her hands. Kanaya walked up to her, reading the sign as she did. "Will you please be my Valentine? Rose, will you please tell me what's going on?"

"Well, Kanaya Maryam." The blonde began. "There's this little thing called love. It is a thing that I have struggled to find for the majority of my life. I had, for some time, stopped believing love even existed. But you changed that. Not long after I met you, I discovered that love does exist, and it can exist in a form of kindness and purity instead of a form of abuse and feeling used. I brushed off the idea of romance for the longest time with you, only because I didn't want to admit that it could be possible that I could love anyone as much as I do you. I know that you have a history of moving a lot, but I want to give you a reason to stay. I want to _be_ your reason to stay. You are my everything, and I want to be able to say that you're mine. So, as a token of my undying love, will you, Kanaya Maryam, take this rose and be mine?" Rose held the flower out to the raven. "I know it's only a single rose, but don't worry, it's the first rose of many."

Kanaya smiled, not exactly sure what she is feeling. Excited? Nervous? Confused? She looked down, taking the rose from the blonde's hands, then looked back up. "Well, thank you so much, but I do have to say, this unfortunately isn't my first rose."

The Lalonde's face immediately drained of color. "It- It's not? Did someone already ask you out? Oh I'm so stupid, someone else has already asked for your love haven't they. I'm so sorry, I'll just-"

"No silly." Kanaya reassured. "This isn't my first rose because you were my first Rose." Without stopping to hear the response, Kanaya grabbed Rose's waist and pulled her in for a kiss. Their lips meeting and immediately finding the familiarity in them. Whooping and hollering could be heard in the background, presumably from the three boys, but Kanaya didn't pay much attention to them. Instead, she pulled Rose even closer, smiling into the kiss as she felt tears streaming down both of their cheeks. She then pulled away. "To answer your question, if it wasn't obvious already, yes, Rose Lalonde, I will be your Valentine."

The blonde laced their fingers together. "Good, cause it would be really embarrassing if after all this you said no."

* * *

 **If you didn't get the full poems from this chapter, here they are:**

 **Dave's Poem**

 **Line One: Romance is cheesy,**

 **Line Two: So I'll cut all the frill.**

 **Line Three: Do you just wanna,**

 **Line Four: Pizza and Chill?**

 **Rose's Poem**

 **Line One: I'm usually bad with words,**

 **Line Two: So instead, read this sign.**

 **Line Three: I've loved you since day one,**

 **Line Four: Will you please be my Valentine?**

 **That's that then isn't it? I told you it was going to be a chapter to remember, no? I hope it met all of your expectations, because being able to write this many chapters has far exceeded mine. I also hope this makes up for the chapter being *slightly* late**

 **See you in a few weeks!**

 **~Jane**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hiiiiiiii I am glad you all seemed to like the last chapter! Sorry for the extra 2-week hiatus, I was at con, then Nationals (for fencing oh wow so cool yeah I guess) Now on with more pain, right?**

 **Did I say pain? I meant plot.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own the series about being stuck at home**

Chapter 21

"Are you sure you're alright with this? I mean, we don't have to if you don't want to." Kanaya asked Rose for the twentieth time just on their way home from school.

The blonde nodded. "Absolutely sure. If she has an issue with it, I'll deal with that some other time, but I think she should know." She lifted the hand that was intertwined with Kanaya's own and kissed it, making the raven blush. "I'm finally happy, and I think my mom would be happy to know that."

"I suppose you're right." Kanaya smiled. When they reached the door, Rose unlocked it and stepped to the side, allowing Kanaya to step in first.

Rose followed, closing the door behind her. "Hey mom, we're home!" She shouted.

Roxy walked down the stairs, still dressed in pyjamas. "Hi sweetie. Hi Kanaya. How was your day?"

"Good." The younger Lalonde responded. "Hey, do you mind if I talk to you for a minute?"

Kanaya sat down on the couch, heart pounding in her chest. _It doesn't make sense that I would be this nervous, would it? I suppose it's just natural. I don't really know how her mom is going to react._ She played with the hem of her skirt, trying to avoid eye contact with anyone.

The older Lalonde sat down in a chair across from the two girls. "Alright. What's up?"

"Well," Rose started off, then paused to take note of how much Kanaya was fidgeting. She placed her hand on top of the raven's in an attempt to keep her still before continuing. "I just thought that I would let you know that as of today, Kanaya and I are dating. I know this may be a shock to you, but I hope you understand and accept that we love each other."

Roxy paused for a second, then slowly nodded. "Alright. So what is it you wanted to tell me then?"

Kanaya was confused. _What does she mean? Is she denying it? Does she not like the idea of us dating?_ "Uh, Roxy, that was it. That's what we wanted to talk with you about."

Suddenly, the mother laughed. "Oh that was it? That's a relief. Listen, I've known you two liked each other practically since day one. It certainly took you long enough to get together. I'm happy for you guys. Good for you."

"Uh… okay then. Thanks for… understanding, mom." Rose said, clearly unsure of how to take this information. "Well, we are gonna head over to Kanaya's house now and wait for Porrim to get home. I'll see you later, I guess."

The two girls stood up, waved goodbye, then walked out of the Lalonde residence hand in hand. "Was that suppose to happen? That was weird." Kanaya asked as they strolled down the street.

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what just happened either." The blonde responded. "I mean I figured she would be chill with it, but I certainly didn't think she knew all this time. It's not a bad thing, just not what I expected to happen."

Kanaya and Rose arrived at the Maryam house, and walked in to find it empty. "Porrim's probably gonna be home in a bit. She said she was going shopping after work."

"Alright. No problem." Rose said, sitting down on the couch next to Kanaya. "Hey, are you okay? I mean I know this is like a big deal and stuff, but you look like you've seen a ghost or something."

The raven sighed. "I don't know. It's just that… what if Porrim doesn't accept me? What if she turns out to be one of those people that doesn't like that I'm not straight and tries to disown me or something?"

"That's not gonna happen, Kanaya. Seriously, your sister seems too cool to do something like that. Besides, she loves you, and I'm sure she would love you regardless." Rose placed her hand under Kanaya's chin and gave her a small peck on the lips.

"Yeah you're probably right." Kanaya responded. Immediately after, she heard the door lock begin to jingle. "Sounds like she's home."

The door opened, and Porrim walked in, carrying two bags of groceries. "Hey Kanaya. Oh, hi Rose. I didn't expect you here. How are you two?"

"Fine thank you. Happy Valentine's Day." The blonde said, clearly attempting to ease into the subject.

The older Maryam chuckled. "Yes, for what it's worth, Happy Valentine's." She put down the bags. "Kan, are you okay? You look pretty pale."

 _Crap, is it that obvious?_ Kanaya gave a nervous laugh. "I'm fine. Actually, could you sit down for a sec, I have to tell you something."

With a look of concern on her face, Porrim sat down. "Sure, sis. What's wrong."

"Uh, well, nothing's _wrong_ per sey. Today at school, I… uh you see Rose had… the thing is…" Kanaya stuttered, her legs shaking. She felt a hand rest on top of her thigh, and looked to her left to see Rose give her a reassuring smile. She took a deep breath, calming herself down. "Porrim, today Rose asked me to be her… her girlfriend. And… I said yes."

There was a pause of silence that seemed to last hours for Kanaya. _Oh God this is exactly what I feared would happen. She doesn't like it. She's just trying to think of a nice way to say how much she doesn't approve._ She began to talk really fast. "If you aren't okay with it, we can figure something out. We can cool it or whatever. I don't want you to be uncomfortable or anything because of-"

"Kanaya calm down! I didn't say I wasn't okay with it." Her older sister explained. "It's just a lot to take in is all. I'm extremely happy for the both of you, I just kind of assumed you were straight. There's no problem with it. I guess us Maryam's were cursed with not being straight, huh?" She said, snickering.

The younger Maryam paused. "Wait, what? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"Oh, I suppose I never did tell you. Well, since it seems to be confession time…" Porrim trailed off. "You see, I have definitely been known to play multiple sides of the field. Most of the time, when I told you I was dating some guy but wouldn't bring them home, it was usually because that 'guy' was actually a girl. I have no problem with dating guys, but there's also something about girls that just tur-"

"And we're going upstairs now thanks for the talk Porrim I love you." Kanaya took Rose's wrist and beelined it to her room, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

"That was… something." Rose commented as the door was shut behind her.

Kanaya took a deep breath. "Yup. To say the least, I was not expecting that. Well, as long as she's fine with it, that's all that matters, huh?" She walked over and sat on the bed.

The blonde walked up to Kanaya, standing in front of her. "Of course. And hey, Kanaya." She took her girlfriend's head in her hands. "I'm proud of you for doing this." She leaned down and planted a small kiss on the other's lips.

The other girl smiled. "Yeah, well… I couldn't have done it without you there."

Rose flopped down on the bed, pulling out her phone. She saw she had a few text messages. _I am so bad about answering these sometimes. Probably won't ever change, just something that is._ She opened one particular one that caught her eye.

 _Sollux: hey ro2e. how ii2 that jack iinve2tiigatiion goiing?_

 _Rose: Oh. I guess I totally forgot about that. I've been busy doing a lot of… other things recently._

 _Sollux: yeah? liike what?_

 _Rose: Well, are you busy right now? I wanted to talk with you anyway, so why don't we skype chat for a bit. I could probably even get Karkat and Dave on and we can discuss all this stuff._

 _Sollux: nah iim not bu2y. 2ure that 2ound2 good. iill call you on 2kype._

* * *

 **Again, sorry for the extra two weeks. It will hopefully be back on a regular schedule now!**

 **~Jane**


	22. Chapter 21 P2

Hey everyone, Jane here.

Sorry this isn't actually going to be a chapter. This is more so I can relay some information to you guys.

So... we've been at this story for quite a while now, and don't get me wrong, I love it. But there are a lot of things going on in my life right now and I really just don't have the energy or dedication to write chapters that I think you guys deserve. Because of that, I will be going on an unknown hiatus from this story.

That being said, I definitely do plan on continuing to write it as soon as I am in a better state in my life to do so.

I hope you all understand, and thank you so much for all the support this story has been getting. I love it so very much.

Until next time,

~Jane


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